Police Update Lockdown Violations on Big Island

Hawai‘i Police Department has continued enforcement of Gov. David Ige’s mandatory shelter-in-place and travel quarantine orders.

The department said in a press release that citations and arrests result primarily in cases of non-compliance after verbal warnings or when in conjunction with unrelated calls for service.

During the week spanning April 15-21, 2020, specific to the offense of “Prohibited Acts” (Emergency Management), Hawaiʻi Police Department officers arrested 15 persons, cited 53 persons and initiated criminal cases against two persons for a total of 70 violations.

They are broken down by district as follows:

• South Hilo District: 7 persons arrested, 11 persons cited
• South Kohala District: 2 persons arrested, 4 persons cited, 2 cases
• Kona District: 6 persons arrested, 21 persons cited
• Kaʻū District: 5 persons cited
• Puna District: 8 persons cited
• Hāmākua: 4 persons cited

Other unrelated criminal offenses, which prompted the police response and subsequent arrest of the suspects, involved Burglary, Unauthorized Entry into Motor Vehicle (UEMV), Theft, Assault, Trespassing, Contempt Warrant, Disorderly Conduct, Place to Keep Firearm, Open Lewdness, Resisting order to stop Motor Vehicle and Operating a Vehicle Under the Influence of Intoxicants/DUI, according to police.

Some of the behavior exhibited by violators to whom citations were issued consisted of disregarding repeated warning by police, traffic/motor vehicle offenses, congregating/loitering on/alongside the road, or at a park/beach area, police said.

The Hawaiʻi Police Department’s three-week combined total enforcement stands at 232 individual offenses: 55 arrests, 168 citations issued and nine additional cases.