KAILUA-KONA — Tina Fear clocked out at Huggo’s around 10 p.m. Monday night and made her way across Alii Drive to the gravel auxiliary lot where she’d parked her truck. What awaited her there, or rather what didn’t, came as a shock.
KAILUA-KONA — Tina Fear clocked out at Huggo’s around 10 p.m. Monday night and made her way across Alii Drive to the gravel auxiliary lot where she’d parked her truck. What awaited her there, or rather what didn’t, came as a shock.
The spot she’d parked her 2004 white, four-door Toyota Tacoma at around 5 p.m. that afternoon was empty. Staring at the ground where the vehicle should have been, she saw nothing but a pile of broken glass. It took a moment for the reality of the situation to sink in.
“I walked down the street to make sure I didn’t park anywhere else, that my truck was really missing,” she said. “It really sucked when I realized my truck was gone.”
Fear’s situation is just one incident of many across the Kona District over the last few days in what can be described as a rash of car thefts and unlawful entries into motor vehicles.
Sgt. Roylen Valera, Kona Community Policing Section, said the numbers totalled out at six vehicle thefts and three vehicles unlawfully entered.
“It was a busy holiday weekend,” he said.
Also reported on Monday were two stolen vehicles and two damaged vehicles as well as a damaged gate at the Kona Mazda on Kuakini Highway. A report from police stated unknown suspects may have used a vehicle with the Hawaii license plate number JYB462 to ram the dealership’s west-facing gate to gain entrance.
Valera confirmed the crimes, but said he couldn’t comment further as the investigation, currently being led by the Kona Patrol Division, is ongoing.
He did say that a number of the holiday weekend crimes involving vehicles were connected, but couldn’t state definitively that all nine were linked. All investigations are continuing, Valera said, and police had yet to name any suspects as of Tuesday afternoon.
Car thefts and unlawful entries were fairly prevalent across Hawaii Island in 2016, according to numbers provided by Hawaii County Police. A total of 341 car thefts occurred on the Big Island last year, including 167 in Kona. The final tally for unlawful entry into a motor vehicle was 580 islandwide, including 175 incidents in Kona.
Valera said stolen vehicles are often recovered, although not necessarily in tact.
“Sometimes (they’re recovered) whole, sometimes stripped, sometimes altered,” he said.
He added he did not have information involving chop shops — places where stolen cars are illegally broken down and sold for parts — nor was he aware of any “effective” ways for thieves to move stolen vehicles off the island.
Only a couple of hours after she made her initial report, around midnight on the night of the incident, Fear said police contacted her and told her a vehicle matching the description she provided them was spotted on its way to Hilo.
The officer she spoke with, however, told her police had chosen not to pursue as to avoid endangering other motorists and pedestrians. The report of the vehicle, the officer said, included details that the operator of the truck in question was driving recklessly and hadn’t engaged the headlights.
Fear hadn’t heard from police again as of late Tuesday afternoon, but said she was advised to post her information and a photo of her vehicle on social media to harness the power of the public in the search for her stolen truck.
“I think the biggest help so far has been the community spreading the word,” she said. “The more people aware, the better.”
She’s still waiting to hear back from her insurance company about a claim, and in the meantime is staggering the use of her boyfriend’s car along with him so both can get around. It’s a disappointing and undue burden, she said. One that will make her think twice about where she parks from here on out.
“I’ve worked for everything I have, and losing my truck … it’s a terrible feeling,” Fear said of the vehicle that’s been in her family for the past 13 years. “It’s just sad. I’d never expect this from someone in my hometown. There’s thieves living among us and that’s just disgusting. You used to be able to park your car at the beach unlocked, throw your keys in there and not worry about anyone stealing anything. Now, it’s different.”
Fear not only locked her truck Monday, but also double-checked it to make sure before heading into work. Valera advised every motorist do the same, and provided a list of steps to take to help protect against theft or unlawful entry.
In order for a crime to occur, he said, three things must exist: a victim, an offender and an opportunity.
“If we remove any one of these from the crime triangle, a crime will not occur,” Valera explained. “We would like to remind citizens to be proactive in general — remove the opportunity for criminals to commit a crime.”
Beyond locking one’s vehicle, Valera suggested motorists remove their keys from the car, avoid leaving valuables inside the car in plain sight, avoid parking in areas obscured from public view, report suspicious people or incidents and form a neighborhood watch to help look out for one another.