Warrant sweep nets 97 Big Island arrests

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A federal, state and county law enforcement warrant sweep in late August netted 67 arrests on Hawaii Island, including 30 in Kona alone.

A federal, state and county law enforcement warrant sweep in late August netted 67 arrests on Hawaii Island, including 30 in Kona alone.

Hawaii Police Department officers, state Department of Public Safety sheriffs and U.S. Marshals teamed up for the annual warrant roundup between Aug. 27 and 29, said District of Hawaii Deputy U.S. Marshal Donna Diaz. Calling the collaboration one of the U.S. Marshals’ District of Hawaii larger operations, Diaz said, in all, 91 warrants were served during the Hawaii Fugitive Task Force sweep.

She added officers turned up no weapons during the Hawaii Island operation, but did locate drugs, including methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia. At least four deputies were involved in the operation.

Capt. Sam Kawamoto, head of the Hawaii Police Department’s Criminal Intelligence Unit, said 30 Big Island-based officers participated in the collaborative effort that focused solely on the department’s Puna, South Hilo, South Kohala and Kona districts. He confirmed no weapons were found and noted several “spin-off” cases resulted from the sweep.

The state Department of Public Safety provided two sheriffs for the operation, said department spokeswoman Toni Schwartz.

Many of the warrants served by the law enforcement officers stemmed from grand jury indictments and criminal contempt of court offenses, he said, explaining certain criteria has to be followed under the collaborative effort. According to a U.S. Marshals prepared statement, those arrested were wanted for various crimes including drug offenses, sex offenses, robbery, theft, and probation violations, among others.

In West Hawaii, 36 people were arrested and 46 bench warrants served with 30 of those arrests in the department’s Kona District, which includes the geographic areas of North and South Kona, Kawamoto said. The remaining six arrests occurred in the South Kohala District, primarily in the Waimea area. No warrants were served in Ka‘u or North Kohala.

In East Hawaii’s Puna and Hilo areas, officers took into custody 31 people, accounting for 45 bench warrants served, he said. No warrants were served on the Hamakua Coast.

Kawamoto, noting the August collaboration was the first he has taken part in as an officer and member of the unit, said he was unable to comment on what effect the arrests had on the overall number of people wanted on outstanding warrants islandwide. Records and ID Section Lt. Randal Ishii said the department as of Tuesday had active 546 adult arrest warrants and 3,056 adult bench warrants.

He did note, however, that while police work to serve warrants every day, having a task force focus only on serving outstanding warrants over a several day period is very helpful in clearing warrants.

Diaz further explained that the annual multi-agency collaboration is a means for serving outstanding warrants that can get backlogged. Because the U.S. Marshals is involved, federal money is available to local law enforcement agencies to help with overtime costs, she added.

She also noted that a multi-agency approach is more efficient since resources from three normally separate parties are brought together.

“It helps to put everybody’s ideas into one basket,” she said. “If we’re going after one fugitive, one agency may know this and another may know that — it helps to combine the resources.”

The Hawaii Island sweep preceded an early September roundup by the Hawaii Fugitive Task Force on the island of Maui. There, law enforcement officers arrested 66 people clearing 104 outstanding warrants.

August arrests

Note: W. Hawaii arrests are listed first

Andrew Beaudet 8-27 Kona

Brandon Smith 8-27 Kona

Gus Lum Won 8-27 Kona

Jason Leowoj 8-27 Kona

Allison Bickel 8-27 Kona

Frederick Puou 8-27 Kona

Daniel Estocado 8-27 Kona

Kimberly Citron 8-27 Kona

Salina Piko 8-27 Kona

Brandon Lum Won 8-27 Kona

Curtis Warner 8-27 Kona

Russell Fujino 8-27 Kona

Sean Gregory 8-28 Kona

Anderson Latrik 8-28 Kona

Kitty Zara 8-28 Kona

Antonio Camariillo 8-28 Kona

Kaohu Vanderhoek 8-28 Kona

Russell Kong Jr. 8-28 S. Kohala

Keoni Kong 8-28 S. Kohala

Steven Jossy 8-28 Kona

Ben Taketa 8-28 Kona

Samuel Akeo 8-28 Kona

Charles Kanouff 8-28 Kona

Ranthino Kios 8-28 S. Kohala

Solomon York 8-28 S. Kohala

Wayne Awai 8-28 S. Kohala

Lovelyn Yamamoto 8-28 S. Kohala

Christina Stafford 8-28 Kona

Shannon Cho 8-29 Kona

Chass Keka 8-29 Kona

Jessica Cordero 8-29 Kona

Darren Price 8-29 Kona

Cody Cabanatan-Machado 8-29 Kona

Joseph Narzisi 8-29 Kona

Bradley Halliwell 8-29 Kona

Patrick Enos 8-29 Kona

Lenford Jardine 8-27 Puna

Dustin Tomono 8-27 Hilo

James Lopes 8-27 Puna

William Moore 8-27 Hilo

Cherie Roer 8-27 Puna

Pearl Berdon 8-27 Puna

Todd Nobriga 8-27 Hilo

Tori Kaneshiro 8-27 Puna

Patrick Lindsey 8-27 Puna

David Apao 8-27 Puna

Jesse Murray 8-28 Hilo

Aaron Vincent 8-28 Hilo

Albert Gouveia Jr. 8-28 Hilo

James Rodrigues Jr. 8-28 Hilo

Fred Ramento 8-28 Hilo

Shon Thomas 8-28 Hilo

Ewalani Cluney 8-28 Hilo

Thomas Kema 8-28 Hilo

Rochelle Benevides 8-28 Hilo

Daris Garcia 8-28 Hilo

Chazlyn Tilfas 8-28 Hilo

Josiah Konanui 8-28 Hilo

Jonah Kahalewai 8-28 Hilo

Jessie Kekaualua 8-28 Hilo

Tracy Broussard 8-28 Hilo

Justin Bachiler 8-28 Hilo

Michael Ioane 8-28 Hilo

Deborah Aspili 8-29 Hilo

Kawehi Walters 8-29 Hilo

Marisa Sin 8-29 Hilo