Police nab 25 for suspected drunken driving

KAILUA-KONA — Thirteen of the 25 motorists Hawaii Island police arrested for suspected drunken driving between Feb. 25 and Sunday were arrested in the Kona District. Eight of the 25 drivers were involved in a traffic crash while two of the drivers were younger than age 21.

Kona officers arrested 13 drivers, South Hilo officers six and Puna officers two, according to data released Tuesday by the Hawaii Police Department. Officers in North Hilo, Ka’u and South Kohala arrested one motorist in each district.

So far this year, there have been 206 DUI arrests compared with 176 during the same period last year, according to police. There have been 164 major accidents so far this year compared with 212 during the same period last year.

Two fatalities had been recorded on Hawaii Island’s public roadways through Tuesday morning, police said. By this time in 2018, five people had perished.