One Hilo man is being held on a felony charge and another has been released from police custody in connection with a stolen truck that crashed Sunday morning, according to the Hawaii Police Department.
One Hilo man is being held on a felony charge and another has been released from police custody in connection with a stolen truck that crashed Sunday morning, according to the Hawaii Police Department.
The crash occurred in the Volcano area under the federal jurisdiction of the National Park Service. After the driver, 25-year-old Hiram Kawelu of Hilo, and his passenger, 22-year-old Cole Evans-Tanigawa, appeared in court on federal charges Monday, detectives arrested them for being in possession of a stolen vehicle and stolen items. Both men were taken to the Hilo police cellblock while detectives continued the investigation.
The pickup truck was reported stolen from Hilo May 14. A generator, fishing poles with reels and a cooler were reported stolen from a campsite at South Point early Sunday morning. In addition, several vehicles were broken into at the entrance to Kawa Beach in Naalehu the same morning.
On Wednesday, Kawelu was charged with unauthorized control of a propelled vehicle. His bail was set at $10,000. He remains at the cellblock pending his initial court appearance today. Evans-Tanigawa was released pending further investigation.