Kurtistown Man Charged with Assaulting Police Officer

A Kurtistown man has been charged with three offenses in a case that began with acar theft.

Police said Claude Keone Krause, 30, was allegedly observed in mid-August driving a car that had been reported stolen in Kurtistown. Police recovered the vehicle but the driver had already fled.

On Monday, police were conducting a check at a home on Huina Road in Kurtistown and spotted Krause. He was arrested following a brief chase but Krause allegedly resisted arrest and assaulted an officer.

The 41-year-old Puna patrolmen, a six-year veteran of the force, was treated for minor injuries at Hilo Medical Center and released.

Police on Tuesday charged Krause with car theft, resisting arrest and first-degree assault of a law enforcement officer. His bail was set at $22,000.