Big Island detectives have charged a 32-year-old Puna man for several offenses stemming from a domestic-related incident that occurred in Puna on Tuesday.
At 11:10 a.m. on Tuesday, Puna patrol officers responded to a report of a woman who had been threatened by her husband, according to the Hawaii Police Department. Officers contacted a 28-year-old woman who informed them that her husband, George Anthony Cruz III had threatened to kill her multiple times with a firearm, assaulted her, and at one point, held her against her will.
At 2:30 p.m., while police were making checks at a residence in Hawaiian Paradise Park, Cruz III was located and arrested following a brief foot chase, according to police. He was also wanted on several outstanding warrants.
Detectives executed a search warrant later that evening at the residence and recovered a firearm with ammunition. Cruz III was initially held at the police cellblock but has since been remanded to the custody of the Hawaii Community Correctional Center.
On Thursday, after conferring with prosecutors, George Anthony Cruz III was charged with first-degree terroristic threatening, kidnapping, felony abuse of a family household member, ownership prohibited and carrying/using a firearm in the commission of a separate felony.
His bail was set at $160,000, and he is scheduled to make his initial court appearance on Friday.