Update: Hawai‘i attorney general charges Big Island police detective with perjury, tampering with a government record

Update at 4:05 p.m. Dec. 6: The Hawai‘i Department of the Attorney General has now charged Hawai‘i Police Department Det. William Brown with one felony count of perjury and one misdemeanor count of tampering with a government record.

Brown is accused of submitting a false statement in a March grand jury case that a defendant in a drug case admitted to having a pink bag in her possession. Big Island Police Chief Benjamin Moszkowicz said Brown’s testimony appears to have led, at least in part, to the defendant’s indictment on felony drug charges for promoting a dangerous drug.

He is also accused of falsifying a probable cause statement, including the false statement in a written application and determination of probable cause, after a member of the Hawai‘i County Office of the Prosecuting Attorney was reviewing police reports, evidence and grand jury testimony and alerted the department to potential inconsistencies.

“The public expects law enforcement officers to exhibit the highest level of integrity,” said Acting Hawai‘i Attorney General Matthew Dvonch, who is serving in that capacity while Hawai‘i Attorney General Anne Lopez is out of state. “The Department of the Attorney General works with county law enforcement partners to hold accountable and prosecute anyone who violates the laws they are tasked with enforcing.”

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Original post from 6:17 p.m. Dec. 5: On Tuesday, the Hawai‘i Police Department arrested and charged its 2009 Officer-of-the-Year, Det. William Brown, with perjury, a class C felony, and tampering with a government record, a misdemeanor.

Brown, who was off-duty at the time of the arrest, appeared in Hilo’s 3rd Circuit Court where a judge ordered that he be released on his own recognizance.

The arrest warrant was filed by the court just before 2 p.m. Following his arrest, Brown was placed on leave without pay pending the outcome.

“If proven, these charges represent a significant breach of the public trust,” Chief Benjamin Moszkowicz said. “The actions described in today’s court filing are not acceptable and are inconsistent with the department’s commitment to conduct business with the highest level of integrity.”

The allegations against Brown, who was working as a detective with the department’s East Hawai‘i Vice Section, were discovered on July 18. Brown is accused of testifying in a grand jury case that a defendant in a drug case admitted to having a pink bag in her possession. Moszcowicz said his testimony appears to have led, at least in part, to the defendant’s indictment on felony drug charges for Promoting a Dangerous Drug.

Brown is also accused of falsifying a probable cause statement after a member of the Hawai‘i County Office of the Prosecuting Attorney was reviewing police reports, evidence, and grand jury testimony and alerted the department to potential inconsistencies.

Upon learning of these allegations, the department’s Office of Professional Standards immediately worked with prosecutors to make arrangements to have the subject of the grand jury testimony in question released from custody.

Personnel from the Criminal Investigation Section also began a criminal investigation into Brown, which resulted in today’s charges.

While the Office of Professional Standards conducted its internal administrative investigation, the department moved Brown away from his investigative assignment. The ongoing internal investigation that started in July is expected to be completed by the end of the month.

After it was investigated, the case underwent a legal process known as Information Charging Non-Custody. As county prosecutors are potential witnesses to the testimony and documents in question, the case was conferred with a Deputy from the State of Hawai‘i Department of the Attorney General’s Criminal Justice Division.

In these cases, after investigators confer a case with prosecuting attorneys at the county or state level, a judge then reviews the case and, if appropriate, signs an arrest warrant containing details of the criminal charges.

Brown has been with the department for just over 20 years. He’s been a detective since May 2016.  After working in East and West Hawai‘i Criminal Investigation Sections, he became a vice detective on March 16, 2021.

Brown was named Officer of the Month in April 2009 for his work on a burglary ring investigation in Mountain View that led to the arrest of four suspects.

According to Sgt. Juergen Canda, Brown was assigned to a burglary task force because of his “outstanding investigative skills,” the 2009 press release noted. The detective was later recognized as Officer of the Year for this case.