Police arrest 19 for suspected DUI

Hawaii Island police arrested 19 motorists for suspected DUI between Dec. 21 and Sunday. Five of the drivers were involved in traffic crashes and one of the drivers was under the age of 21.

Kona officers arrested seven drivers while Puna officers arrested six drivers and South Hilo officers four, according to data released Tuesday by the Hawaii Police Department. Officers in the South Kohala and Hamakua districts arrested one motorist in each district.

So far this year, there have been 996 DUI arrests compared with 1,076 during the same period last year, according to police.

There have been 765 major accidents so far this year compared with 977 during the same period last year.

Fifteen fatalities have been recorded on Hawaii Island’s public roadways, police said. By this time in 2019, 25 people had perished.