UPDATE: 2 Hawaiʻi Island police officers arrested for perjury, evidence tampering

The State of Hawai‘i Attorney General filed a felony charging complaint in 3rd Circuit Court on Tuesday against two Hawai‘i Island police officers for a variety of charges, including perjury and evidence tampering stemming from unconstitutional searches of an arrestee’s belongings in May 2023.

Warrants were issued for the arrests of Officers Blane Kenolio and Noah Serrao. On Tuesday, both were arrested, according to the Hawai’i Police Department.

Serrao, a six-year member assigned to Hilo Patrol, is charged with perjury, false swearing in official matters, and tampering with a Government Record. Kenolio, also a six-year member of Hilo patrol, is charged with tampering with physical evidence.

Perjury is a class C felony offense punishable by up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine. False swearing in official matters, tampering with a government record and tampering with physical evidence are misdemeanor offenses punishable by up to one year in jail and a $2,000 fine.

“The charges filed today reinforce the fundamental principle that the law applies equally to everyone,” State Attorney General Anne Lopez said in a news release Tuesday evening.

Hawai‘i Police Department Interim Chief Reed Mahuna said: “Police misconduct is never easy to investigate, and I would like to thank Attorney General Anne Lopez and her staff for their efforts in this matter.”

Following their arrests late Tuesday afternoon, both officers were released on their own recognizance, the Hawaiʻi Police Department said in a news release.

They are scheduled to appear in Hilo Circuit Court, on Wednesday at 1 p.m.

Both officers have been reassigned from patrol as their court proceedings continue.

“They, like all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law,” the Hawaiʻi Police Department news release said.

According to court documents, Serrao made false statements about an arrest involving a zippered bag, which he said contained methamphetamine and a glass pipe, that was brought into the Hilo cellblock. There was not a warrant for the person arrested.

Serrao’s made those false statements to ranking officers, and later to Judge Darien W.L. Ching Nagata, who accepting the statements as true, and determined there was probable cause for the arrest and extended restraint of the arrestee.

The felony charging document also indicates Kenolio did “intentionally or knowingly destroy, mutilate, conceal, remove, or alter physical evidence, to wit, the contents of a Louis Vuitton bag, with the intent to impair the contents’ verity in the pending or prospective official proceeding.”

Kenolio and Serrao are charged with perjury, false swearing in official matters, tampering with a government record and tampering with physical evidence.

Kenolio and Serrao, who were both graduates from the Hawaiʻi Police Department’s 91st Recruit Class in 2020, were disciplined internally in 2023 for the incident and appeared on the Hawai‘i County Police Department’s 2024 Legislature Disciplinary Report.

Serrao was suspended for 50 days, and Kenolio was suspended for 24 days. Both returned to the force.

In October, Kenolio was recognized by the Aloha Exchange Club of East Hawai‘i for “his outstanding investigative work and keen observational skills that led to the arrest of a repeat offender and recovery of stolen property.” 

In 2021, Serrao was recognized by the Aloha Exchange Club of East Hawai‘i as Officer of the Month for his efforts helping to track two escapees from the Hawaiʻi Community Correctional Center.

In 2023, the Hawaiʻi County Police Department filed the investigation with the Hawai‘i County Prosecuting Attorney Kelden Waltjen, who forwarded the case to the state attorney general so as not to appear biased in the case.

In June 2025, State Attorney General Anne Lopez’s Office subpoenaed the Hawai‘i County Police Department to produce administrative investigative files compiled by the department into the alleged misconduct of Serrao and Kenolio as well as Officers Andrew Springer and Sheldon Adviento.

On July 7, the Hawai‘i County Corporation Counsel filed a motion to quash the subpoena, stating the reports requested contain compelled administrative investigation statements, which are protected under the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments.

According to documents filed in the case in September, the state attorney general asserted two of the four officers implicated in their motion were “witness officers,” and the other two were “target officers.”

To resolve the case, the county filed a reply on Aug. 13, indicating the consent of the “witness officers” to the production of their respective investigation reports, which contain transcripts of their respective interviews.

The state agreed to the county redacting the compelled statements of the “target officers”  contained within the internal investigation records.

Lopez expressed her appreciation for the Hawai‘i Police Department being proactive and working closely with the state department on this investigation.

“At its core, this investigation reflects the need for accountability to maintain public trust, while also recognizing the dedication of the many officers who serve their communities with honor every day,” Lopez said.