Two men accused of attempting to run truck off the road
Two men accused of attempting to run truck off the road
Two Hilo men are in police custody in connection with an incident over the weekend involving a car and a gun.
South Hilo patrol officers on Saturday responded to a home on Laula Road in Hilo, following a report that two men in a Honda car had attempted to run two acquaintances in a pickup truck off the road and had threatened one of them with a handgun twice.
The first confrontation was on Kilauea Avenue south of Kawailani Street. The second was on Haihai Street at the intersection of Laula Road.
The driver of the truck, a 26-year-old Pepeekeo man, and his passenger, a 25-year-old Hilo man were not injured during the encounter.
On Monday, detectives from the Area I Criminal Investigations Section arrested the car’s driver, Hiram Kawelu III, 25, of Hilo. They later arrested the passenger, Albert Espaniola Jr., 34, of Hilo.
Wednesday, after conferring with prosecutors, detectives charged Kawelu with second-degree reckless endangering, promoting a dangerous drug, driving with a revoked license and reckless driving. His bail was set at $13,000. Espaniola was charged with two counts of terroristic threatening. His bail was set at $20,000.
Both men remain in the cellblock pending their initial court appearance scheduled for Thursday.
Police ask that anyone who witnessed the incidents at around 2:30 p.m. Saturday contact Detective Clarence Davies at 961-2384 or cdavies@co.hawaii.hi.us.
Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous may call Crime Stoppers at 961-8300 in Hilo or 329-8181 in Kona and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000. Crime Stoppers is a volunteer program run by ordinary citizens who want to keep their community safe. Crime Stoppers doesn’t record calls or subscribe to caller ID. All Crime Stoppers information is kept confidential.
Roads closing for resurfacing
Likana Lane, a one-lane road in Kailua Village, will be closed from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. today while the Department of Public Works Highway Maintenance Division resurfaces it. The work will begin at the Alii Drive end and finish at the Kuakini Highway intersection.
On Monday, DPW crews will resurface 455 feet of the northbound lane of Kuakini Highway, from Kaiwi Street heading south. Motorists are advised to use Makala Boulevard or Loloku Street to access the Kekuaokalani Gym-Park Complex.
Police arrest Puna man for pot growing operation
Police charged a Puna man in connection with a marijuana growing operation on two properties in the Hawaiian Paradise Park subdivision.
On Wednesday, police executed a search warrant at a home on H Street in Paradise Park, where they recovered 145 marijuana plants growing outside and in a shed that had been converted into an indoor-growing room. They also recovered 359 grams of dried marijuana from the shed and 13.32 pounds of dried processed marijuana packaged in 28 plastic bags from inside the house.
Police arrested the resident, Edward Fuhrmann, 44. They later recovered 45 additional plants growing on a vacant lot on 8th Avenue.
Detectives from the Area I Vice Section charged Fuhrmann with two counts of first-degree promotion of marijuana, one count of attempted first-degree promotion of marijuana and three counts of possessing drug paraphernalia. His bail was set at $36,000.
He was released from the Hilo police cellblock after posting bail.