WAIMEA — Two victims in an attempted homicide case testified in a preliminary hearing, Tuesday, that North Kohala man, Dwight Antonio Rivera, rammed them repeatedly with his vehicle while they were driving home from work last week. ADVERTISING WAIMEA —
WAIMEA — Two victims in an attempted homicide case testified in a preliminary hearing, Tuesday, that North Kohala man, Dwight Antonio Rivera, rammed them repeatedly with his vehicle while they were driving home from work last week.
The first victim, a 31-year-old woman from North Kohala, told the court the incident occurred as she was getting a ride home from work Thursday. She said she saw, what she recognized to be Rivera’s truck, coming down the highway toward her and the man driving her home, a 36-year-old man from Kamuela.
The woman said she had been in a relationship with the suspect in the past but confirmed they were no longer together. However, they were on talking terms.
Prior to the incident, the female victim told the court she was with Rivera when they saw the male victim in Waimea. Nothing occurred at that time.
Later that day, the male victim gave the female victim a ride to work. After both working a full shift, the two victims testified they mingled with co-workers after work then the man offered to drive the North Kohala woman home in his brown Toyota pickup truck.
While traveling on Highway 250 toward Kynnersley Road, both individuals observed a red Dodge Ram come toward them at a high rate of speed from behind.
The female victim said she wasn’t able to see Rivera but recognized his truck. At that point, she told the court that she instructed the man to turn left on Hawi Road and drive toward the police station.
The male victim said Rivera cut him off and clipped the back end of the man’s truck before he turned.
Following that moment, the male victim told the court Rivera drove along side him in the oncoming lane and hit the driver’s side of the male victim’s truck with his passenger side.
After that, the male victim testified, his vehicle spun out and got pinned into a corner. Rivera then started ramming the driver side of the victim’s vehicle with the front of his truck.
“Once I had an opening I tried to reverse,” the male victim said.
The male victim said he was able to turn around but his front tire got caught on a wire. At that point, the Kamuela man testified, Rivera resumed ramming the passenger side of his vehicle as that side was now exposed.
The male victim said he told the female victim to get behind the driver’s side so she didn’t get injured.
The man told the court he had to climb out of the driver’s side window to get out of his vehicle.
“I ran toward the truck and told Dwight to get of the truck,” the male victim said.
At that point, the man said he grabbed the driver’s side window to Rivera’s truck and broke it. He then tried to open the driver’s side door and kicked it.
After that, the Kamuela man testified Rivera left the scene the same way they came.
Both victims said they feared for their lives.
After Rivera left the scene, the male victim told the court he instructed the North Kohala woman to hide in tall grass in the area.
The woman testified she had called 911 twice.
The woman did sustain injuries. The man suffered an injury to his hand when he broke Rivera’s window.
The third witness to take the stand was Officer Emerson Paranada with Hawaii County Police. He said he arrived on scene at about 1 a.m.
When he got to the scene, Paranada told the court he saw the victim’s brown truck on the mauka side of Kynnersley Road facing west. The ambulance arrived before police did.
“I saw heavy damage to the vehicle,” the officer stated. “It appeared to me the truck was disabled.”
Rivera was also charged with ownership or possession prohibited of a firearm or ammunition. The defense requested that the additional charge not change the bail, currently set at $80,000.
The prosecution didn’t object.
Several other witnesses were meant to take the stand, the preliminary hearing was continued to April 25.
