2 Charged Following Burglary at Construction Site in Ka‘ū

A man and woman were charged in connection to a burglary that occurred in Ka‘ū Thursday, March 31.

At 8:15 a.m., Hawai‘i police responded to the incident at a construction site, located on the 95-800 block of Nīnole Loop Road in Nā‘ālehu. When they arrived on scene, officers learned that an employee arriving at the job site encountered two suspects inside a building under renovation. The suspects left the scene in a vehicle after being confronted, and no injuries were reported.

The employee told police that previously laid flooring material in the building had been pulled up and stacked in piles with estimated repair costs of around $4,000.

About an hour later, police made a traffic stop in Nā‘ālehu town and arrested 55-year-old Melvin Burgo of Ocean View, and 43-year-old Tisha Thompson of Mountain View, on suspicion of burglary. Both were taken to the Nā‘ālehu police station while investigators with the Ka‘ū patrol division continued the investigation.

Both Burgo and Thompson were charged with one count of second-degree burglary with bail set at $2,000 each. Thompson was also arrested and charged with an outstanding criminal contempt of court warrant, with an additional $1,000 bail being set on her warrant.

Both were later taken to the Kona cellblock where they remain in custody pending their initial court appearance today in Kona District Court.

Anyone who may have information of this incident is asked to call the police department’s non-emergency line at 808-935-3311 or Officer Jenna Kosinski-Santos of the Ka‘ū patrol division at 808-939-2520.