 
WRECKLESS DRIVER
The following was submitted verbatim by a resident of RHE:
As you must know, there are children riding the Heleon Bus to attend school in Hilo. They walk back and forth from the highway to get home.
IN broad daylight, two neighborhood kids, including my son and our neighbor girl, were almost hit on purpose by a Caucasian man seen in a GREEN DODGE DIESEL TRUCK on Alii Anela St. Friday, Feb. 19, 2010 at approximately 4:15 pm walking from the Heleon Bus. drive by yelling at them.
RESOLVED!
STOLEN VEHICLE
Vw Crewcab was stolen Wednesday, February 17, from the Hilo airport. Please notify the police if spotted.
BURGLARY
CYMBIDIUM ACRES
Sometime in February, 2010
Received the following report:
"I discovered earlier this afternoon that our friend's home on Road A had been broken into. They live on the mainland and we watch the house for them. Unfortunately, not sure of exactly when this happened, as I hadn't checked the house in a week or two. Police were contacted.
Chain across driveway was cut as were padlocks on storage area under house, two window screens were removed but when they couldn't get windows open they pried the front door and gained access that way. Among the things taken... some small nesting tables, pair of binoculars, small tool box, iPod speakers, toiletries, stationery, HP printer, electronic keyboard without the stand, a couple of laundry baskets (some jeans and sweatpants were in the baskets, those gone too), some scuba/snorkel gear, an empty suitcase. Fortunately nothing of great value and other than damage to the door and frame, no vandalism or trashing of the place."
NO EXTRA TRASH DAYS in VOLCANO
Big Island police are investigating a theft this week at the Volcano rubbish dump.
One or more persons removed four galvanized chain-link gates sometime between Monday (February 1) and Wednesday (February 3). The gates are 6 feet high by 11 feet long. Total value of the stolen goods is $4,500.
Police ask that anyone with information about this case call the Police Department's non-emergency line at 935-3311. Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous may call Crime Stoppers at 961-8300 in Hilo or 329- 8181 in Kona. All Crime Stoppers information is kept confidential.
Editor's Note: Just left the dump and county workers were installing a new gate
BURGLARY
Week of January 17
HOIE - Nalehua near Alii Papa
Neighbor confirmed that a residence owned by an absentee landlord was burglarized for a second time. In addition to smaller items, a wood-burning stove was removed.
CENSUS BUREAU
The U.S. Census Bureau will be mailing or hand delivering census questionnaires to Big Island residents beginning in February.
Through late August, Census Bureau temporary field staff will work in neighborhoods to deliver questionnaires, collect information from those who have not returned their census questionnaire, and verify addresses.
All Census Bureau temporary field staff will carry identification cards issued by the Census Bureau. The public is advised to ask to see an identification card before responding to questions.
THEFT
Thursday, January 21
MLE on 12th
"Sometime between the time we picked up our paper yesterday and this morning our paper box and stand has DISAPPEARED! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ! It has our address on it. Would like it back !!!!!! Grace Moore."
Editor's Comment: This makes two paperbox incidents in two adjoining subdivisions within one week.
STOLEN BICYCLE
Reported Sunday, January 17
MLE near 1st & Pearl
"This is an older burgundy/silver mountain bike with dual shocks and stickers removed. Please call 808-989-3446 if you have seen this kids bike. He needs it to get to school."
Editor's Note: The owner found the stripped bicycle; the only thing left was the frame.
JANUARY 15, 2010
Two reports from OE:
Burglary:
"Apparently our vacation rental on Liona Street [was burglarized] the evening of Jan 14, 2010, just last night. A wide screen Vizio 32 inch flatscreen was removed along with a blender. Entry was gained by breaking the front door window."
Vandalism:
"Some vehicle ran over and smashed our HTH newspaper box on Nahelenani Street early this morning, 1/15/2010, between midnight and 6am; maybe around 4am because we both woke up then. Reported to Tribune Herald."
Editor's Note: In neither case is it known whether the police were notified. I need to remind the subdivisions of Ohia Estates, Mauna Loa Estates, Volcano Golf Course, Volcano farm Lots and Cymbidium Acres ... you have no Neighborhood Watch representation that I'm aware of. If interested, contact me.
BURGLARY
HOIE
Nalehua St
January 1
The following report was only verified today (January 13) despite the fact that a 3rd party informed me of the crime on January 1.
A home was entered unlawfully through a window where the screen bas bent to gain access. Small appliances and art work were taken from the residence. Police were notified.
PROWLER
VGC
Tuesday, January 12
Just received a report of a prowler in VGC subd last night around midnight. The caller said she, her immediate neighbor and another nearby neighbor all heard a scratching and a knock on their doors.
Please notify the police if you've had a similar experience and also let me know.
INCIDENT
VGC
Saturday, January 9
Received information from a resident that she found her patio screen door open upon awakening. Fortunately her patio door was locked.
TRUCK THEFT
Reported by Eric Davis ...
Below is a picture of my father-in-law's 1992 grey Toyota pickup, which was stolen from myself and my three year old son while hiking up at the bird park on Friday, January 8, 2010, at approximately 3:00 pm. The vehicle had been securely locked, with no visible valuables. The Ranger pursued the suspect, loosing them in the Eden Rock area.
UPDATE: Spoke with Eric Davis who confirmed that the police found the completely stripped truck in Eden Roc subdivision.
BREAK-IN
Volcano Golf Course Subdivision
Noticed Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Range: mid-December ~ January 5
Received the following report moments ago ...
Off-island right now, I was called at 6pm yesterday [1-5-'10] by my yard guy at my Volcano house. He said a bedroom window was open: very unusual. So he checked the kitchen (back entry) door & found the glass window in the door busted out. Both front & back doors have keyed-deadbolt locks, so were both still shut.
My next-door neighbor had seen nothing unusual. I called the police immediately, & they were supposed to go up last night & talk to my neighbor.
I have the place entirely fenced, with two (2) locked gates. They must have climbed over. Another neighbor said the inside looked "OK" to him, but he doesn't know what, if anything, was taken.
AUTO REPAIR SCAM
A South Kohala man was approached by an unidentified man in the parking lot of a shopping center. The unidentified man said he had observed the victim's vehicle on the roadway with a wobbling rear tire and offered to fix the problem for a fee.
The two men proceeded to the victim's home and then the suspect left with the victim's vehicle. He returned a short time later, informed the victim that the repairs had been completed and demanded cash payment in the amount of $4,000.
EMAIL SCAM
A Hamakua man received a frantic request through e-mail on Tuesday from what he believed to be an authentic e-mail address of a family friend. The friend said that she was in London, England, where her bags had been stolen containing her passport and wallet, leaving her broke and helpless. She requested that the man send her $700 through Western Union.
Thinking that this sounded suspicious, the man e-mailed her a question that he believed only his friend could answer. The suspect replied and gave the correct answer, so the Hamakua man sent the money.
It is unknown how the suspect in England gained access to the e-mail account and the woman's contact list and past e-mail history so that he or she could provide the correct answer to the question.
Police ask that the public exercise caution when replying to suspicious e-mails, and that they check with the requestor or family prior to sending money.
Editor's note: Change your passwords frequently.
B & B SCAM
Big Island police are warning the public to exercise caution when arranging vacation rentals or selling items to strangers.
Police received a call from an owner of a vacation rental who reported that he had been contacted by someone who wanted to rent the property. The person posing as a renter sent a check for more than the rental amount and asked that the balance be sent to another address. The property owner contacted the bank and learned that the check was bogus.
The public is advised to be suspicious of anyone who offers to purchase or rent something with a check above the asking price and then asks for a refund of the difference, as this is a common scam.
TRAFFIC FATALITY
Big Island police have opened a negligent homicide investigation in connection with a vehicle-pedestrian crash Tuesday night (December 1) in the Glenwood area of Puna on Highway 11 at the 20-mile marker.
Just before 9:45 p.m., a police officer was conducting a traffic stop in the Volcano-bound lane of Highway 11 on the Hilo side of Hirano Store. Several occupants of a white Jeep Wrangler, possibly tourists, stopped to inform the officer that a man was lying on the shoulder of the Hilo-bound lane on the Volcano side of the store with his head at the white shoulder line. As the officer went to check with his flashing blue light still illuminated, a 62-year-old Mountain View woman driving a Suzuki 2-door sedan in the Hilo-bound lane pulled over to the shoulder of the highway and ran over the man in the road.
The victim was taken to Hilo Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 12:30 a.m. Wednesday (December 2).
Police do not believe that alcohol or speed were factors with respect to the driver but the victim appeared to have been drinking.
Police have ordered an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death. Police have identified the victim as 59-year-old Malcolm G. Nelson of Volcano.
Police ask that the occupants of the Jeep or any other witnesses call Officer Robert Pauole at 961-8119 or the Police Department's non-emergency line at 935-3311.
TELEPHONE SCAM
The Hawai'i Police Department is warning the public about a possible telephone scam.
A Puna woman reported receiving a telephone call last week from a man who told her he was representing the Hawaii Tribune-Herald. He said the newspaper was looking for people who wanted to "give back" to the community by making donations. The woman's caller ID indicated that the call was not from the newspaper. After she began to question the caller, he hung up the phone.
Police have confirmed that the newspaper is not soliciting donations. The public is cautioned to be aware of fraudulent appeals for donations and advised to contact the named donation recipient to confirm that the person soliciting the funds is actually fund-raising on behalf of the recipient.
HOME INVASION UPDATE
Big Island police are investigating a reported home invasion robbery in Volcano early Thursday evening (November 19).
Puna Patrol officers were dispatched to a Pukeawe Circle home in the Volcano Golf Course subdivision, where a 77-year-old man reported that two or three males overpowered him and demanded money. They physically beat the victim, bound him and then left the home with an undisclosed amount of cash and other personal belongings. The suspects wore masks, but were described as being possibly Caucasian and in their teens to early 20s. One was further described as being approximately 6-feet tall and 200 pounds with a slightly slim build. Fire/rescue personnel treated the victim at the scene but his injuries did not require his being taken to a hospital.
Detectives assigned to the Police Department's Area I Criminal Investigations Section are continuing the investigation. Police urge anyone with information about this incident or anyone who may be involved to call the Police Department's non-emergency line at 935-3311. Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous may call Crime Stoppers at 961-8300 in Hilo or 329-8181 in Kona. All Crime Stoppers information is kept confidential.
HOME INVASION
Thursday, November 19, 8 PM
Volcano Golf Course Subdivision
A home was invaded on Pukeawe near Pii Mauna. The male victim was apparently home alone, and was restrained and beaten by the intruders. The value of property taken is not currently known.
Further information will be released as authorities allow.
GREATER DETAIL
Two men reported that a lone gunman approached them in the Cooper Center parking lot around 9 p.m. on November 9 as they sat in their Ford F-250. He pointed a handgun at the driver, ordered both men out of the truck and told them to lie face down on the pavement. He then took the truck, personal belongings and an undetermined amount of cash. He was last seen heading east on Wright Road with the stolen vehicle.
The suspect is described as being about 6-feet tall with a husky build. During the robbery, he used what appeared to be a T-shirt to cover his face. Police ask the public not to approach the man, as he is considered armed and dangerous.
They ask that anyone with information about the case call Detective Norbert Serrao at 961-2255, the Kea’au police station at 966-5835, or the Police Department’s non-emergency line at 935-3311. Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 961-8300 in Hilo or 329-8181 in Kona. All Crime Stoppers information is kept confidential.
TRUCK SPOTTED
Tuesday, November 17
If ever there was proof that Neighborhood Watch makes a difference, it was today. I received a message from M.L. who reported seeing the truck in question on Alaula Street in Royal Hawaiian Estates. Based on the way the truck was "parked" one would conclude that it had been abandoned there. M.L. notified the police who said they would come directly. By the time I checked (noon), the truck was gone.
A big THANK YOU! to M.L. for taking the initiative to help.
2 REPORTS
Monday, November 9; approx 9 pm
Cooper Center parking lot
An Armed Robbery occurred in the parking lot at Cooper Center at approximately 9 PM. Police are tight-lipped about the details but a detective has been assigned and they are diligently working the case. What seems to be factual is that a gun was used to rob someone of a substantial amount of cash and the assailant fled in a big blue Ford truck ("like an F-250"), with a white fishbox in the bed.
Editor's Note: I was unable to report this incident earlier due to lack of police confirmation until moments ago.
HOIE
Huakai Street
Sometime within the past 3 months
Burglary: A vacant house was broken into and items of infrastructure were stolen. The fact that the driveway was chained likely prevented the thieves from removing appliances. still, they took a heavy Grundfos water pump.
ALERT
Saturday, November 7
MLE
"As I was returning home from the Post Office at about noon today, I spotted a black pickup, license no. HHS 979 with two local men, one about 40, the other about 30, parked in front of the house just down the road from me toward Ruby. That house was broken into last weekend. I went slowly past, the driver waved, then I went around the block. As I entered 4th Street again, the pickup slowly came toward me, the driver signaled for me to stop and told me that they were looking for their lost dog."
Editor's Note: The witness believes the two were casing.
ALERT
Wednesday, October 7
HOIE
We have another report of an encounter with the trio of locals including a boy of not more than 12 years old. This time they were overheard talking about the difficulty of entering a property where the gate was chained. The witness reports this incident took place today around 1:30 pm near Lehuapele and Olapa. The vehicle they were using was a White Dogde pickup with a camper shell. The vehicle had NO LICENSE PLATES. Police were not notified by the witness.
ALERT!!
Tuesday, September 22
HOIE
near Alii Kane & Lehuapele
URGENT:
Reporter followed up with Police who CONFIRMED this vehicle as belonging to KNOWN THIEVES. Please call the police if you see this vehicle.
"We got a license plate number of someone parked across the street from my son's house. My nephew was home this time and came walking out to the road when his dogs were barking...two very dark skinned people, one about 12 and the other, an adult, were headed to my son's driveway. When they saw my nephew they turned and went back to their car parked in the bushes. A large white ford sedan, license PTR 508. They drove away slowly.
They first showed up in June. My daughter-in-law and two children were home alone with no car. They walked to the back of the house, yelling like they were looking for someone. My 9 year old grandson was the only one brave enough to look out and all he could tell us is 'they had black skin.' In August they came back and took $10,000 worth of furnishings ... so here we are 6 weeks later, just enough time to think the kids would have replaced their things. DISGUSTING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Police said to notify you so folks could watch for the vehicle and three dark skin people. One chubby driver, one skinny man and one about 12 years old. I am sure the 12 year old is the one that went thru my sons 2 x 4 bathroom window."
VOLCANO POST OFFICE HIT
Thanks to first responders, Ron Sanford and the Fire Department crew, a major blaze was averted at our Post Office early Saturday morning, September 19, 2009. That said, the interior suffered a $15,000 loss.
Intruders broke windows and pried bars in the rear to gain access when their attempt to jimmy the Dutch door failed. It is unknown at this time whether damage or loss was confined to the structure or if the contents were also affected.
When intruders enter a house, they violate that family. When they break into our Post Office, they violate every family. With any luck at all, the intruders will be captured in a timely manner and sent to Federal prison.
NOTICE
Volcano Golf Course Subd.
Monday, September 7
Pre-dawn
Resident emailed the following information:
"A strange occurrence: I awoke this morning about 4:50 am to the starting of a pick-up in my driveway, close enough to my garage to be a friend parking there. There was moonlight as I looked from my bedroom window to locate the source of a vehicle starting up so close at that moment. I hurried to my front door and switched on the porch light. The older model pick-up truck was out the driveway, turning on its lights as it edged its way around the cul de sac and away. It turned left at the T. The stealth of the appearance and disappearance of a truck in my driveway so close to my garage door at that hour continues to bring wonder and not a little concern. I've shared the story with neighbors thinking they might have noticed something as well. One womanremembered car lights about an hour earlier. Although I could not identify the truck, I do know it was a simple pick-up of the Ford/Chevy variety with no extra stuff (as in racks or extra cab) gray or some other indistinct color; definitely not black, white or red. It was very quiet running, as well. I'm sharing simply as a way of documentation."
ALERT
Volcano Golf Course Subd.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Noonish
Resident called with the following information:
"A small silver Ford pickup truck, maybe 2005, with rear sliding window, license number HHW 851 driven by a haole male with dark hair approx 35 years old and accompanied by a female passenger, took a picture of my house. I asked him what he was doing and he said he was a real estate appraiser. I wanted to question him more but he took off at a dangerously high rate of speed. I gave chase for a short time, just to get his plate number and memorize as much as possible about his vehicle. There was a pale red and blue sticker on the left rear bumper."
ADDENDUM
Monday, August 31
Volcano Farm Lots
"We have been having that white truck and other vehicles doing exactly the behavior you suggest…. Going by several times a day very very slowly…. Creeping to and then backing up some and even idling off to the side of the driveway."
The rest of the Village needs to know ...
... that residents of Hawaiian Orchid Isle Estates Subdivision have been under siege for the past couple of weeks dating back from Sunday, August 30, 2009. Wearing my hat as that of NHW subdivision captain, I've been getting frequent calls from residents about suspicious activity. My house, too, is being actively cased by would-be thieves, and I'm not the only one afraid to leave property unguarded.
The nature of the messages received includes:
- burglaries;
- vehicles cruising makai at night with engines off;
- vehicles creeping up driveways night or day and leaving abruptly when spooked;
- vehicles driving backwards on roads, ascertaining whether gates are open or closed;
- cinder placed in gate tracks to prevent complete closure;
- window peeping at night;
- dogs reacting to "something or someone" in the forest;
- trails cut into forest of uninhabited property.
The police were notified by individuals in some of the incidents. I phoned in a general complaint about our subdivision's siege, identifying myself and my post with NHW, and was told to organize a NHW patrol group and phone tree. The police refused to come and address the general complaint.
So, if you miss seeing any of us around - we're sitting at home, guarding our property.
UNRESOLVED PROBLEM
As of Wednesday, August 26, the RHE hapuu theft remains unresolved. The unofficial suspect is attempting to sell the hapuu within Volcano. Pictured is his handwritten ad which is posted on the bulletin board at the Cooper Center. Sighting of the ad was called into NHW.
According to the person calling in the complaint, the phone number on the ad belongs to the same person who has been driving the older model white Ford pickup truck with plate number HZA 477 described in the incident dated August 17.
NOTICE
I have been getting comments from several people about 'that white truck harvesting hapuu' and the 'driveway dump site in OE.' An inside source reveals that these illegal harvesters sell the hapuu trunks to Walmart and Home Depot, despite the fact that the stores are not supposed to buy from unlicensed Nurserys.
ALERT
HOIE
Friday 7:30 PM
Huakai Street
Between 7:30 ~ 8 pm Friday night, a Huakai Street resident witnessed a car driving up and down Huakai several times before turning into her driveway, stopping midway to her house, and just sitting there. She slipped into her own car, leaving the lights off and coasted toward the intruder. She suddenly turned on her high beams at which point the intruder took off toward Alii Kane. She followed him and he continuously flipped her off in the mirror. He turned right (makai) on Alii Kane and rather than follow, she returned home and called the police. She waited up until 2 am and the police never came.
She identified the car as a late model Toyota Corolla either silver, light blue or champagne color (as it was dark, it was difficult to tell). License # GVS 940. Occupied by at least two people.
After hounding the police today by phone, they finally returned her call and told her the car was registered to a Kona driver, and that they would not follow up because the driver hadn't done anything wrong.
SIMILAR ALERT
RHE
Saturday
Alii Anela
A resident called stating that he caught a guy looking over his property. He confronted him and the guy lamely asked about construction work. The resident was particularly bothered when he read the message above on Huakai Street, as the vehicle matched the one mentioned there. The color was champagne and was occupied by two guys.
HAPUU THEFT
RHE
Monday, August 17
Approx 4 PM
Received the following report from a resident of RHE:
"Hapuu removal from RHE was reported to HCPD through our NHW representative. While I didn't witness the actual removal of hapuu trees, this is what I saw at approximately 4pm: While driving home on Alii Anela and past Mokuna St, I notice a parked white older model Ford pickup truck (facing Volcano direction parked near the intersection) with a bed full of hapuu trunks. There were 7-9 full length trunks filling the bed of the truck with tail gate down (HZA 477). I circled the block and drove up Mokuna from Alii Koa and when the vehicle was in sight, it was being driven away making a turn towards the highway on Alii Anela. I followed that vehicle (with 2 occupants) up the Old Volcano Highway, past Nahelenani where they turned into the driveway before 11-3721A Old Volcano Road. The driver of the vehicle looked at me as he turned into the driveway. I called our NHW representative and asked that he report this incident. I turned my vehicle around at the top of the street (on Liona) and returned to Mokuna Street where I found evidence of a hapuu dragged on the roadway at 1-1-015-059. I returned home and was soon called by HCPD Officer Stephan. At that time I was unable to tell him who owned the lot(s) associated with this incident. Within the hour the NHW representative and I went to Mokuna where I checked out the off road area near the dragged hapuu evidence and the corner of Alii Anela and Mokuna. Both locations had freshly removed fronds in close proximity to where a hapuu trunk once was. The corner lot had a foot tall stump (appearing to be freshly cut by a non hacking type tool). As we stood at the corner of Alii Anela and Mokuna, a vehicle (sedan HGA 099) coming up Mokuna stopped and made a comment, "You looking for hapuu, this is my lot and I own another one down there." I recognized the passenger as the driver of the white pickup truck. He stated that he owned this corner lot (1-1-015-047) and another lot below (pointing towards the dragged hapuu direction). I asked what the name was, he said "Robinson." I asked if the name was the same for both lots, he said "yes." The vehicle then drove off. Later that evening, I gave Officer Stephan the TMK and property owner information that is currently on record, neither are owned by a "Robinson." He reported that the truck license didn't come back valid. To date, neither our NHW representative nor I have heard of any follow up."
- Within moments of dispatching this alert, I received confirmation from an OE resident stating he witnessed the off-loading of that hapuu as reported.
- "Saturday (8/22/09), around 3:30PM, a suspicious person in a white pick up was 7/10th of a mile down Nahelenani from the HWY in Ohia Estates, lurking around by his truck when the dogs barked and I went to investigate. He claimed he was "picking foliage" and I suggested he find another spot to do so as he was on private property. He was a local male with a mustache ( late 30's ??) with an attitude about being asked to move on. He drove away abruptly. These alleged "foliage pickers" are usually rip offs casing areas to rob. Be on the look out for this guy."
- Follow up: The alleged perpetrator contacted me regarding the Saturday afternoon incident, and informed me that he has a license to pick foliage on roadsides; that he was not in violation of that procedure when confronted.
Volcano Neighborhood Watch is always happy to resolve complaints. That said, we are NOT a forum for squabbles between neighbors. Residents are urged to use this alert system judiciously.
ALERT
Ohia Estates
Liona Street
Friday Afternoon, August 14
A property on Liona was accessed (for the second time in five months) either from the side or back (through forest), and the home's back door was jimmied open. The typically active household was quiet at the time of the burglary which suggests someone had been watching carefully. Furthermore, the perpetrator closed the blinds on the side of the house most visible to neighbors.
The thief opened every door and cupboard and left them ajar. Everything was picked through without necessarily being ransacked.
A fireproof security box and its contents were taken. Talking with the police, the victim mentioned that it seemed the thieves were looking for something specific. The police said currently it’s drugs (prescription or non), large amounts of cash, jewelry, and electronics that are popular with thieves.
BOLO
HOIE
Thursday, August 13
A resident on Hoolehua Road was disturbed by a large red pickup truck in her driveway between 8:40 PM ~ 9:20 PM Thursday evening. She and her neighbor surmised that the truck was coasting makai with its engine off because they couldn't hear an engine but did hear road noise. It wasn't until she called out to the truck's occupants from her darkened house that the truck left the property without response.
Apparently the police are looking for a large red pickup truck in connection with a theft in Fern Forest.
ALERT
HOIE
Alii Kane near Hoolehua
Monday or Tuesday, August 10th or 11th
Tools and equipment removed from a locked storage shed on gated property. Storage door broken open to gain access. Items not stolen were trashed. Building materials were on site but left untouched.
VERIFIED UPDATE
The second of two victims (scroll down) verified his loss on Nalehua Road. The perpetrators gained access to his residence by breaking a window with a rock and reaching in to unlock the door. The victim suffered the loss of a motorcycle amongst other things. Needless to say, he's anxious to get it back.
ANOTHER UPDATE
The victim contacted me:
"Yesterday our home on Alii Kane [Lehuapele makai] was broken into...the police could not pick up any prints or way of entry into the home, so they are obviously professionals. We have an automatic gate which I guess they walked around. They left the front door and screen door wide open as they left. They took flat screen tv, wii, xbox, playstation, 150 DVD's, 50 video games, Jewerly box with heirlooms, and cash money."
UPDATE
Saturday, August 8
It has been my preference to avoid publishing hearsay, and I will generally stick to that principle. However, recently I've been hearing about a crimewave occurring in Hawaiian Orchid Isle Estates (HOIE), and the fact that hearsay is pouring in from multiple sources, lends strong credibility to the fact of the crimes, if not the details.
The victims are urged to contact me directly so that I can publish the scope of the loss and help prevent further crimes from occurring. As always, we WILL NOT PUBLISH identifying information about the victims.
Fact: A generator was stolen from a homeowner on Puolani between Alaula and Anuhea in Royal Hawaiian Estates (RHE); close to HOIE.
Hearsay: Major burglaries occurred on Nalehua Road and Alii Kane, respectively. Victims reportedly overwhelmed by their loss. [VERIFIED]
Hearsay: The perpetrators may reside in Royal Hawaiian Estates. They might be tunneling through the dense rainforest to gain access to occupied properties. [Based on the hearsay of items removed from homes, I doubt that the perpetrators are removing items through the rainforest, rather, using camouflage to case properties.]
Volcano Village Hearsay: Cows are loose on Wright Road near the Farm Lots. Drivers are cautioned to drive slowly. A Village resident reported a collision between a car and a cow. The animal was killed and the car incapacitated. [VERIFIED]
DELAYED ALERT
Mauna Loa Estates
3rd near Pearl
July
"The cottage next to my house was vandalized this past week. Apparently, someone who was just dumped by a girlfriend took out frustration with a can of blue spray paint. (The message appeared to be "F_ _ _ U Brianna Bitch".) Also, a window was broken, although no entry appears to have been made. The owner is currently off-island."
Police were notified.
IMPORTANT BIG ISLAND ALERT!!
July 27, 2009
WAIMEA: "Please scroll down and READ and take the proper precautions. Alert your relatives who live on this island. FYI - a Waimea home in McMillan Subdivision was entered recently during the day (front door unlocked) by a man that was part of a group allegedly selling vacuum cleaners door to door. He was upstairs in the house - kinda fearless! The homeowner confronted him and ran him out...and was able to get licence plate number of van, which resulted in that group being picked up by Waimea police...but it now sounds like there's more than one van full of scoundrels roaming our island. Lock your doors and cars."
HONOKA'A: What happened in Waimea has now hit Honoka`a. White van, vacuum sales people, suspicious. Don't hesitate, call 911. Passing this on is meant to inform you, not to scare you, please take precautions and be safe.
HONOKA'A (2): Beware of a van load of people that are being dropped off to sell these products such as, Kirby Vacuums, cleaning solutions etc. "A family member of ours was approached by two young people at her home yesterday in Honoka'a while 2 others were walking around her yard, she told them she wasn't interested so they left." Luckily her husband is a police officer and forewarned her about these people and how they were reported casing homes and actually robbed homes on Hilo side. Anyways, she called her husband right away and they were able to catch these people, but the scary part is there is more than one van and they are going all over the island. Just a precaution; it all just happened, so please beware.
INCIDENT
Volcano Farm Lots
Amaumau Road
Friday, July 24
10 AM ~ 4:45 PM
Entrance chain cut and red 1986 Toyota pickup truck stolen from driveway. Truck license KA2IXG (AMATEUR RADIO CALL SIGN LICENSE). Truck cargo bed supports a 4" x 4" aluminum pipe rack.
Police have been notified.
ARRESTS!
According to an official release from Office Scott AMARAL on March 30:
"Three men were arrested in regards to a burglary in Royal Hawaiian Estates and also for one in Eden Roc. None of the suspects arrested were charged however, and detectives are still working on the case. All suspects are from the Volcano Area, however again, they WERE NOT CHARGED."
REPORT
Volcano Village
Wright Road
Wednesday, May 13
"It didn't really trigger me right away, but after I discussed it with another neighbor, it seems I should report this: A white Mazda pick-up truck drove in the yard (honked his horn on the way in) and said he was the local person who sells steaks, etc. When I said I wasn't really a meat eater, he said "ok" and was about the leave, then asked if I ate chicken. I told him I wasn't interested and he said "ok" and left. The license plate was "BWM1". I have no idea if this is a legitimate person or if he was casing our place."
RESPONSES to REPORT:
- "We've had meat sellers who came door to door. They actually sold steaks and chicken. It was a few years ago. The meat was good, if rather pricey."
- "This man also came to our house (on Haunani Rd) to sell meat. He showed me his frozen products (steaks, hamburger) and was trying to peddle his wares. He said he was from Kona. I didn't get the feeling that he was casing the place, just trying to make a sale (living)."
- "There are people who drive around selling frozen meat. I remember one party who did so with a white truck. Hard to say if this is the same folks as it has been a couple of years but they are out there."
- "A guy like this came in my drive a couple of years ago and he was legit assuming the meat wasn't stolen, which he swore it wasn't and had some paperwork to support that. The frozen meat wasn't very good, though."
- "I didn't think much about this until I saw the report this morning from another resident. On Tuesday, May 12, around noon, a vehicle pulled into my driveway on I'iwi Road and honked it's horn. By the time I got to the window to see who it was, I saw a white pickup truck backing out of the driveup and continuing further down the road. I did not see a license plate or the driver. My cleaning lady was here at the time and her car was in front of the house...it would not have been visible right away from the road. My own car was in the garage, invisible. Wondering now if it was someone scoping out the house to see if anyone was home."
- "A neighbor of mine (Ohia Estates) had a similar experience about a month ago. He actually bought some steaks from a man in a white pickup truck, so if the timeframe matches, the guy was probably legitimate. He told my neighbor that he would not be back for about six months, so if the new report is recent than it may be something else going on."
- "I know there is a business that sells meat from coolers in the bed of the truck...saw around here, but that was a couple of years ago."
- "Don't use my name, but BWM1 stands for Best Western Meats, based in HNL. Best to just say that someone reported that the truck is legit."
- "This dude was going up and down I'iwi road Tuesday....selling meat. Told him not interested. He turned around and left..did't seem too swift...ran into one of my plants as he turned around."
- "He is legit, his name is Joe and he does work for Best Western Meat--has been in Volcano before, sells meat and fish, and by the way his deals are not too bad if you like the cow."
- "Yeap..the guy was at my house yesterday,too .... in Cymbidium... just wondering are people that are peddling their goods from door to door required to have a solicitor's license here in Hawaii?.... if so, then one could ask to see the license and copy the license# down to make sure they are legit... and if they don't need a license at all...maybe that is something that should perhaps be changed ... or at least they would have to register with someone at the County so it could be cross-checked that the person is legit... just a thought."
- "I know there are people going around selling meats from Best Western, you can find them on the internet. They have come to my house a number of times. The couple also drives a red pick-up and I have seen their product so they are legal. Thanks for the info."
Editor's Note: If someone encounters this person, you might want to tell them they're under scrutiny. Furthermore, they might want to notify Officer Amaral of the Keaau Police Department so they can be ruled out as suspects should burglaries be reported.
INCIDENT
Friday, March 13
OE
Liona Street
"At 5:30 this afternoon, a neighbor noticed my front door was ajar. My gate was locked, so the intruders jumped over the fence onto the front porch and kicked my front door in. From the looks of things, they went right for the flat screen tv in my living room. Nothing else was bothered or stolen. I arrived home at 6 pm. Police arrived about 6:30, took pictures. There is a nice muddy foot print on my front door. After speaking with my other neighbors, one reported to me (and made a statement to the police) that between 1:30 and 2:15 today two male “local youths” came up onto her porch and looked into her window. She was sitting in the living room, and confronted the kids, who asked if “Joe” lived there. She said no, and they moved off her porch. Then she called after them and asked what “Joe’s last name was, and one guy came back and mumbled some last name. The other male just kept walking towards the road. She estimates they are late teens/early 20’s. More description was given to the police."
HEAD's UP
March 12
OE
Submitted by an alert neighbor:
"I gave some directions and had a nice talk yesterday with two young local guys, David and Matthew, in a cream colored, lifted, Toyota pickup, with a lockbox and yard work equipment in the back and and lots of mud on the truck sides. They work for a company that contracts with banks that are foreclosing, to maintain the premises while they try to get them sold. They drive slowly looking like they are casing the area and then drive up to empty houses. They said they never complain about having the police called on them all the time because they know the neighbors are just helping to maintain the houses."
A neighbor writes: "It's telephone book season again. Is your neighbor's yellow-bagged phonebook lying at the foot of their driveway? Retrieve it for them so as to prevent thieves from determining the obvious."
INCIDENT
February 22
9:30 am
Volcano Village - Maile Avenue
"Two haole men were confronted on private property, ripping up native plants by the roots (Uki} & packing them up to haul away. Police were notified & arrived in 20 minutes.
Silver Dodge Durango: HHH 674. One 50-ish, 6'1" or 6'2", skinny, smelled of cigarettes. Other one, mid-thirties, 5' 10", skinny, eyes kapakahi [askew]."
VNHW: Thanks to alert neighbor, full identity provided to police. Thank you!!
BUSTED
A generous neighbor alerted NHW to the whereabouts of John Cox, named in the February 12 incident in HOIE.
THANK YOU!!
INCIDENT
February 11 ~ 16
HOIE/FF
Received a call from another burglary victimin the HOIE/FF area who wasn't sure exactly when his placed was struck, but it looks like it may have been close to the 11th when another burglary report came in from the same area.
In this case, several tools were taken as well as a pocket compass, pair of binoculars and a Coleman Stove. The replacement value would exceed $1,000.
INCIDENT
February 12
HOIE
7 PM
"A rather intoxicated Caucasion, local fellow entered my driveway, claiming to be lost. He had difficulty navigating his old Toyota pickup back out, and rammed my meter pole. Broke conduit and twisted the meter box around a bit.
He identified himself as John Cox, and said he resided in RHE. He gave a Volcano PO and phone number, but the phone number is out of service. He is about 30-35 years old, stands about 5'6", dressed shabbily, drives a beat-up Toyoto pickup MAA 404.
HPD arrived about an hour later and made a report, then later made a follow-up call to say the name didn't match the description, but did match the owner's name on the vehicle. HPD officer cautioned to be vigilant for 4WD pickup trucks that ply the streets, and to call 911 if we see any suspicious folks."
INCIDENT
February 11
HOIE
Keleponi Rd
Between 1~7 PM
A residence that was burgled approximately one month ago was struck for the second time. Gate was locked as were doors. Intruder gained access through window which was reached with owner's ladder. Loss value unknown. Police were notified.
BOLO
February 5
OE
Second sighting of powder blue 4-door Ford or Chrysler sedan (see February 2) reported about 5:30 pm. The report was made by a resident who spotted the pair of men after they parked their car at the foot of her driveway and proceeded toward her house on foot. She called out to them from her lanai at which point they turned and ran back to their car and sped away. Her car was not in her driveway and she suspects the intruders thought no one was home.
ALERT
February 2
Liona Street
Spotted a powder blue Ford or Chrysler sedan, approximately 20 years old, moving slowly along Liona. As I approached from behind, the car pulled over. Suspicious, I drove ahead and circled back encountering the car moving along normally. I attempted to make eye contact but the two male occupants averted attention. The two local men appeared to be in their 40's.
NOTICE
Received a call from a Volcanite concerned about a couple of observations over the past two weeks. First off, he saw a couple of younger teens riding bikes down OVR in front of Kilauea Lodge carrying a crossbow and quiver of arrows. The second incident was a white man in his late 30s to early 40s dressed all in black walking along Jade Avenue with a sword strapped to his back.
If you have observed similar or know anything about these people, please notify us.
UPDATE: The woman carrying the sword was on her way to a fencing class at the CC.
INCIDENT
February 1
LavaRock Cafe
9:30 AM
Intoxicated men created a disturbance in cafe. Police were called and arrived in time to handle the situation.
INCIDENT
January 30
HOIE
Near Puolani & Lehuapele
Resident returned home to find driveway gate shared between himself and neighbor had been run through. Resident hadn't found anything missing but did notify police.
INCIDENT
Between January 4~30
MLE
Near 10th & Pearl
"Unknown person(s) came onto property and broke solar powered landscape light. Also took item left on front porch of house. Item found at back of house on ground."
2 INCIDENTS
Monday, January 19
Between 1 ~ 3 pm
OE on Nahelenani
Two houses were burglarized today. Windows pried open to gain entry. iPods stolen at one house and no report (yet) of what was taken at the other house. Obviously being closely scrutinized because NHW patrols every hour.
BOLO
Friday, January 9
7:15 PM
HOIE
"As I was coming home from the village, a late model red compact sedan or 4-door tracked me turn for turn to my street but stopped as I progressed toward my driveway. When I stopped and began backing up, the car took off. I chased him down Puolani and followed him when he turned left on Lehuapele. I caught up with him and forced him to pull over and when I got out of my car, he backed up and took off. I tried to follow him but he tucked in somewhere and shut off his lights. I called the police but they couldn't come."
INCIDENTS
Tuesday, January 6
HOIE
(1) Huakai Street near Puolani: Private residence burglarized. Police notified. Presumably between 11 am ~ noon, thieves kicked a hole in the door and unlocked it from the inside to gain access. A digital camera and wall-mounted TV were removed from the home. Neighbors noticed a light, two-tone Ford Bronco parked in the vicinity. The image below is for identification purposes only.
(2) Kaleponi near Alii Kane: Private residence burglarized. Police notified. Stereo and weed-whacker removed. Neighbor identified a circa 1980's Chevrolet pickup truck (similar to this image) with a light colored cab and dark (possibly brown) bed, with a loud muffler, when it used his driveway as a turnaround.
Neighbor identified the driver as caucasian male but couldn't identify his passenger other than to say he heard two men talking and laughing and assumed it was his neighbor and another male. He later learned his neighbor hadn't been home, so the voices he heard were those of the thieves. He recalls that the thieves were at his neighbor's house for a maximum of 5 minutes and places the time at late morning.
December 31 ~ January 1
MLE
"On New Year's Eve (give or take 12 hours), the yellow coqui sign on the corner of Pearl Ave and Fifth Street in MLE was bent backwards until it was on the ground. The post is exceptionally strong and anchored in cement. Therefore, it took more than one person to knock over the sign.
At first look, it appears that the sign was mowed down by a vehicle, but after inspection, one can see that the sign was bent at the point near the ground just above the cement. That's just a few inches above the ground. No vehicle could be that low to the ground to knock it over. Vandalism looks to be the cause."
Wednesday, December 31
Volcano Village
Kilauea Lodge
"A visitor's car had its driver's side window smashed in at 2am, however, the car alarm scared off the culprit(s)."
Sunday, December 28
Ohia Estates
Neighbors noticed tire tracks leading to an open bedroom window of a house where they discovered a screen had been removed and curtain rods in disarray. Police were notified. It was determined that the break-in occurred between 9:00 pm Saturday and 5:00 am Sunday.
It is unknown at this time whether or not anything was removed from the house.
Neighbors speculate that the house had been cased.
Addendum: Neighbors confirm this house, indeed, had been burglarized for the second time in one month. The first time it was burglarized, thieves gained access through a door which the owner fortified thereafter. The second time, intruders tried to break in the door but when they couldn't succeed, they broke in through a window. Once inside the house, the thieves broke out several other windows from which they tossed loot.
In an apparent show of disdain, those which were of no use to the thieves were utterly destroyed. This type of behavior is typical either of kids or drug abusers; the latter demonstrating the level of self-righteous indignation that they wear like a badge of entitlement.
Sunday, December 28
Volcano Village
Sometime between 8:30 ~ 11:30 am, someone kicked in a door and stole an LCD TV and internet router on Haunani Street. Police were notified.
Addendum: Police reported that a tool (probably a crowbar) was used to gain access, and that the value of the loss was listed at $500.
Wednesday, December 24
Volcano Village
Thieves broke into the Kilauea General Store and Lava Rock Restaurant complex, stealing the safe and all cash register drawers. Loss value not disclosed.
Thursday, December 18
HOIE
A house on Lehuapele was burglarized around midday Thursday, December 18, after the owner had stepped out for a while. Apparently the gate had been run down and several items taken from the premises. Thus far, the owner has not contacted NHW, however, has notified the police. This report comes from a reliable source in the subd. More to follow.
Update: The gate had not been run down, rather, the thieves had parked outside the gate.
December 15
HOIE
Car driving suspiciously slow along Huakai Street around 9 pm. No license plate info or identifying info provided.
**********
MLE
"Today I received a phone call that I reported to the police afterwards. It was allegedly from a business called FINANCIAL ASSURANCE ESTATE PLANNERS OF AMERICA and there is no such company. They were phishing for information as to when they could send a representative to discuss a living trust but sounded a bit illiterate perhaps like they were being told what to say. They were especially interested in finding out when someone would be home so they could send a representative. After telling them I would be at work and so would my husband (my mistake as I was caught off guard but will never do again), I added that a friend was staying at my home. I have caller ID so I called the number back and it was a private number with an answering machine.
I spoke to Officer Kilii at the Keaau Police Station who is checking it out. My gut feeling is that they were casing things out. They may be about to strike again."
INCIDENT
Monday, October 13
Mauna Loa Estates
11th Street
"House on 11th St MLE was vandalized & burglarized on Mon Oct 13. Perpetrators appeared to have used a glass-cutting tool & screwdriver to enter thru a window that was both locked & had a stick in it to prevent opening. Not sure but may have been juveniles because 10/13 was a no-school day. Police were notified 10/13."
INCIDENTS
One:
Friday, Oct 10
Ohia Estates
Nahelenani near Liona
"Police were here yesterday. More burglaries in Ohia/Mauna Loa Estates. Yellow house on corner of Liona and Nahelenani and newer green house both robbed recently. People saw two adolescents one young teen Hawaiian on bike, other gangly dirty blonde haole teen or early 20's older thin tall. Carrying pillow cases full of stuff. Green house was missing same pillow cases."
"Both suspects seen entering driveway across the street from Uliuli off Nahelenani and path behind. There has also been some kind of drug bust on Nahelenani. A suspicious white truck new model plates, HKE *** possibly carrying both under age suspects was observed in same area."
*** Number identified for police.
Two:
Date undetermined
Ohia Estates
Nahelenani
According to a Real Estate Agent showing a property to prospective clients, "the back door had been pried open/damaged and a large white telescope taken."
INCIDENT
Saturday, October 4
Puolani Road near Anuhea Street
RHE Subd.
Received report from property owner who confronted two men removing hapu'u from his neighbor's property. The perpetrators were identified and police were notified.
Addendum: There appears to have been a misunderstanding in this situation.
No criminal complaint was initiated.
Labor Weekend Alert
Friday, August 29:
Received a report of suspicious activity from one of our B&B operators. She claims that a customer called and wanted to stay Friday night but refused to provide credit info. Instead, they would pay cash upon arrival. They were supposedly on their way from Hilo but when they hadn't arrived in a timely fashion, she dialed *69 (call back last incoming caller) and the customer said they were almost there. When they never showed up, the proprietor canceled plans to leave the premises, suspicious that her property was being cased.
Friday, August 29 at 12:20 pm:
Volcano Garden Arts
A couple in a gold/beige Toyota Corolla (unsure of year) sedan (4 door) walked in briskly and looked around the gallery and front of gallery.
Woman had a trim build and was approx 5' 5" and was in her 30's with tank top and shorter shorts. Dark glasses and hat. Long dark hair. Possibly Puerto Rican with a speech impediment - possibly hearing impaired.
Man was taller than female, muscular build, possibly in upper 30's-early 40's, African American, white t-shirt and shorts, dark glasses he carried a large camera with either white lens cap or flash (was white in color/cover).
They just said they were looking around and the male took photos of the female in our parking area. They spent less than 5 minutes total on the grounds and it was odd. Possible that they were here before, woman seemed familiar with the gallery, but hard to tell as they were rushing around...
Note: The person who notified NHW about this incident now does not want to identify themselves, so I have no recourse other than to abandon the announcement.
Further note: Received a message from a community member acquainted with the hearing-impaired woman who said she shouldn't be considered a suspicious character.
1:00 PM
HOIE subd
Observed a compact white pickup with lawnmover in back pulling out of a neighbor's driveway on Huakai Street. Polynesian man with average build, possibly tall, with neatly trimmed facial hair and dark glasses. Smiled as I drove by but didn't really look at me. I parked around the corner and walked back to Huakai to have a look but he had disappeared. I patroled Huakai and didn't see him so he presumably pulled into another neighbor's driveway. I waited at the foot of suspected driveway for five minutes before leaving. Would have driven in but am not on first-name basis with that neighbor and didn't want to intrude. House cannot be seen from street.
Note: I followed up on this and there was no harm or foul involved.
INCIDENT
MLE
Near Jade & Ninth
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Volcano Neighborhood Watch has received information regarding vandalism at a particular new residence occurring for the second time within five weeks. Police were notified. The homeowner claimed that his neighbor's house was also vandalized but that person did not notify the police.
INCIDENT
Volcano Farm Lots
Between 4:30pm July 9th and 9am 10th, a residence near the end of Amaumau Road was burglarized. A 2002 silver Toyota Tacoma (no plates but running), a Suzuki Intruder 750cc street bike (not running), assorted power tools (Bosch, Craftsman) were among the items stolen. They cut the phone wires and turned off the electric at the breaker box. No prints found...They took the keys for several other vehicles like they're planning to return for them....Neighbors saw a faded blue/gray old style Dodge Caravan that made 4-5 trips up and down Wright Road on Wed the 9th. It was driven by an older man.
INCIDENT
Thursday, May 8, 2008
MLE: Near 11th & Pearl
Toward late morning, a man described as having a dark complexion, wearing camo clothing, and in his 20's or 30's, was seen by a resident first, when the man descended his driveway and again peeking into a neighbors windows. The resident shouted and gave chase as the man escaped through the forest and ran down 12th toward Ruby. Police were notified.
Later, the owner of the home where the man was spotted peeking into windows said that not only had the stranger hopped his fence, but probably kicked his dog, too, as the dog was found injured and cowering.
SUDDENLY, 4 INCIDENTS
March 29, 2008
Wright Road
Saturday afternoon
"I live on Wright Road and am writing to report what could be a comletely benign incident, but something that just felt "off". Today, around 1:00pm, a 200? silver Dodge Ram 2500 with HI license plate driven by a 30ish male with a big black dog in back pulled all the way into our driveway and honked lightly a couple of times. When my boyfriend went out to see what he wanted the young man said that he was looking for an address and asked if 'Chris' lived here. Our address is clearly marked at the end of our driveway and visible from the road. Our vehicle isn't currently parked in the driveway and it appeared as if no one was home. We have a chain that we normally pull across the end of the driveway when we leave but it was down at the time, since we were home, allowing easy access to our carport. We had a couple of bicycles and and other items sitting out in the carport.
This person may truly have been looking for someone, but it seemed as if he may have been casing the place or looking for a quick grab. The reason that I am reporting this is so that if another person has a similar experience with someone matching this description, we will know to be on the lookout for this individual. It is probably nothing, but better safe than sorry."
Hapuu Lane
Saturday
Today, between 9~3, some one broke into a home on Hapuu Lane in the Village and took 2 TV's and cable box.
In this case, neighbors described a blue/grey sedan, possibly a Honda, Nissan or VW, with a loud muffler driven by two men described as Portuguese locals. Police concurred with this description.
Wright Road
Saturday Mid Day
"We had an unexpected/unknown visitor today around 12:30pm. He was driving a newer silver Dodge Ram truck - my husband said he thought it was diesel. The guy was a local boy, late 20s/early 30s with longish hair. He was wearing a black shirt. He drove in, honked, and when my husband opened the garage door, the guy asked for "Martin" (we don't know of anybody in the neighborhood by that name). When my husband told him "no" he just backed up, turned around and left. He had two black dogs, one with some white on it, in the back of the truck."
MLE
Saturday (Night?)
Received report of items stolen from a vacation rental while the visitors were out. Stolen items included a notebook computer, some eBooks and a boombox with flame stickers on it.
INCIDENT
Royal Haw'n Estates
Puolani Street
Friday, March 21
A large, flat panel TV (bolted to a wall) and notebook computer were stolen from a vacation rental, presumably overnight.
INCIDENT
Haunani Street
Thursday, March 20
Someone familiar with our house and habits broke into our home this evening and stole an ukulele and some children's jewelry. They also did significant damage to our fence. We think they left quickly through the back door as we were arriving home. We reported the incident to the police.
INCIDENT
Royal Haw'n Estates
reported Sunday, February 10
In October of last year, we reported an incident of cats being poisoned near Alaula and Puolani. I received another complaint this morning regarding another incident, although, the party admits they don't know whether or not the cat was poisoned, only that it turned up dead under their house.
INCIDENT
Mauna Loa Estates
Thursday, Feb 7 at 5:45 AM
"My niece was exercising on a mat on the lanai and was surprised by a bright search light beam flashing around our property. She stood up and saw a white van stopped at our driveway entrance. It had a swivel flood light mounted on the driver's side near the side-view mirror. She could not see who was in the vehicle, but when they saw her standing on the lanai, they said something incoherent, and drove away. There was black lettering on the van, but she could not make out what it said. The vehicle was traveling east on Twelfth Street near Jade Ave., in Mauna Loa Estates."
INCIDENT
February 5
Royal Hawai'ian Estates, Alaula Street
"I have had strange occurrences happen at my home since I bought a year ago. 1) A drunk neighbor coming down my driveway at dusk and asking for me, telling us that he owns this street because he's Hawai'ian by blood. 2) A person standing outside my bedroom window at night peeking in.** 3) Just recently a silver car stopping in front on the street outside my living room window as if trying to look in. This is the second occurrence of this car."
** Note: Another woman on the same street reported such an incident about one year ago.
ALERT
Thursday, November 29
Hawaiian Orchid Isle Estates
Upon receiving several complaints over many weeks, I notified the Humane Society for the second time about the two white Pit Bulls running free on Huakai Street between Alii Kane and Puolani. The owners have proven to be unapproachable about the matter. Residents are voicing fear over traveling along the road as these dogs suddenly spring from their yard and menace walkers, bikers, and vehicles alike, not to mention other domestic pets.
The Humane Society staff noted the information but declinded to say what, if anything, could be done about it.
ALERT
A credit card scam just in time for the holidays. Click on the link below.
http://www.snopes.com/crime/warnings/creditcard.asp
INCIDENT
Sunday, November 4, approx 7 pm
RHE - Hwy 11
"The night of the accident, I was on my way up the hill to my mom's house in Volcano. It was dark and raining pretty hard. I noticed a pick-up truck (possibly with an extended cab and dark in color) coming to a stop at Alii Koa (second road into Royal Hwn Estates) & Hwy 11--with its hazard lights on. The truck made a right-hand turn and started down the hwy heading (literally) toward me. It crossed the lane divider and continued to move head-on toward my vehicle. I swerved to my right (into the shoulder and grass) in an attempt to move out of its path. The drivers side (front end and possibly left front side) of the truck hit the left (drivers side) door of my car, then farther back into the back door. I stepped on the brakes after being hit and ended up facing the opposite direction in the middle of the road (and watched the truck disappear down the hill). When the N. bound traffic cleared, I was able to pull over to the right side of the road and try to figure out what to do next. Someone in a truck called the police when they saw my car in the road, stopped, and waited with me until my husband and police officers/E.M.T.s arrived. The whole situation was (and still is) very traumatic and especially because the driver of the truck never came back to at least determine that I was OK. Also, my car has been pronounced 'totaled' and now I am left without a car (as well as a deductible) and to cope with with anxiety, physical pain, and frustration."
If anyone has any information to contribute, please contact either me or the police.
webmaster@volcano-nhw.com
ALERT
Friday, October 26
Phishing Scam
Jane Doe alerted me to an email supposedly from the IRS, saying she had a refund coming. Jane "checked www.snopes.com, and found this is a phishing thing, and is one of the better ones I've seen, and many that don't know their taxes well enough would fall for it."
ALERT
Monday, October 22
RHE: Near Alaula & Puolani
Received report of cats being poisoned. Encouraged affected parties to notify authorities.
Incident
Saturday, September 15 at 11:00 am
Hawaiian Orchid Isle Estates, Lehuapele Street
"Just a short note to let you know two guys tried to break into my house while I was out. Car wasn't in the driveway, so they thought no one was home. Girlfriend heard someone pull up around 11:00 am. They parked on road, not visible from house. She looked out a window, didn't see my car in the driveway and thought nothing of it until she heard someone under the house. Sometimes I put stuff away under the house before coming in, so she waited a few minutes before opening the door. At the bottom of the stairs were two local guys, late teens, early twenties, rubber slippers, shorts, one no shirt, other open shirt, one short hair, other about 3" hair about ready to come up the stairs. After a few choice words from my girlfriend (and no doubt noticing the rather large dog she was holding back) they ran. She sicced the dog on them, but they made it to the car and split. They made off with a 2-gallon can of gas I had under the house and cut the small lock on the shed out front. (Nothing taken from the shed.) We reported the theft. Two cops showed up, but got no prints. The following Wednesday I was at the County Council VTC in Hilo all day. Around 4pm, my girlfriend's friends dropped by. A red sedan parked out front drove off as they pulled into our driveway. It was raining pretty good, so they didn't notice who was inside the sedan. (They didn't know about the earlier theft.) Needless to say, the house is now marked. I've beefed up security. Plan to install video surveillance cameras soon."
Incident
Due to several complaints about a pair of white pit bulls running loose in the Hawaiian Orchid Isle Subd, particularly along Huakai Street, the Humane Society was notified today, September, 24, 2007.
Incident
Friday, September 7 at 1:00 pm
VGC (on Kolokea Place)
"Two young men knocked at my door looking for Dr. Ethan (fictitious), which is my first name, so I responded yes. They both seemed genuinely surprised. Their story was that they were trying to locate a podiatrist who their grandmother needed to see right away and that this person lived somewhere near the 'Old Volcano House or 'Kilauea.' When I noticed there was no car parked in the drive, I asked them about this, and they said they were dropped off by someone who was visiting around the corner. One said his grandmother, a Mrs. Thompson from Port Townsend, WA, had a house in our subdivision but that she was mostly on the mainland. I didn't get much out of them that made sense. Both men looked to be in their mid to late twenties, average height, similar husky build, no glasses. One was local (black hair, dark eyes, thin moustache and goatee, tattoos), the other said he was from Washington State, brown hair, either hazel or brown eyes, no facial hair."
INCIDENTS
Monday, August 27
HOIE (near Puolani & Huakai):
"I came home from walking my dog this evening to find someone peeking in my children's windows. We saw each other and ran in opposite driections."
This individual also reports tell-tale evidence of "visitors" tresspassing on their property when they've been away and the gate was locked.
Thursday, August 2
HOIE (end of Alii Kane)
Between 12:00 and 1:00 pm occupant witnessed bicycle rider w/ binoculars peering into the home. Description: Shoulder length very dark hair, 5'6 to 5'8, black pants, long sleeve white sweatshirt, possibly teen to 20's. Suspect took off upon discovery.
INCIDENT
July 25 - 7:30 pm
MLE - near 7th & Pearl
"I'm not sure if this is worth mentioning but I had something really strange just happen. A light gray caravan drove up my driveway. I was distracted by the car lights so so I investigated. There were two women. The woman from the passenger side got out of the car and asked if I lost a dog. She first showed me a small, gray mutt and then a black one, asking each time if it was mine. After telling her I've never seen those dogs, she looked around and very slowly backed up and left.
Why would someone go to a random house at 7:30 pm to see if someone has lost a dog or two?"
Webmaster's comment: Any incident, regardless of how minor it seems, is worth mentioning. It sounds similar to other reports of casing.
Follow up - July 21: The anonymous contributor below reports that the police were notified of a red car that was apparently abandoned at the same household. After some time, the car remained in place and the contributor again contacted the police only to learn that the car's owner was notified and had promised to move it. Despite the owner's promise, a subsequent complaint was made and action is pending.
Webmaster's note: While Volcano Neighborhood Watch will continue to publish complaints, residents are urged to consider our limitations. We have no special arrangement with law enforcement, nor are we authorized to act on anyone's behalf. The purpose of this website is to keep others informed of criminal activity occurring in Volcano. Squeaky wheels get grease; when criminal activity increases, alerted citizens become more diligent about protecting themselves and their neighbors.
July 8, 2007 - Volcano Village
"Wanted to take this opportunity to report that the shocking green car license # HFN 509 after revving their engine (which occurs at least weekly) sped up & down Kilinoe St. on July 4, 2007 leaving tire track marks in front of our home. An eerie sound also blasted from that green car through out the neighborhood. It is a concern as children & many pets reside on that street. It was reported to the police.
Another occurrence which was not reported to the police, happened a few months ago, occupants were warned by the Volcano Resident though that experienced this near mishap. Engines were revving up again, & I told my husband to please check it out & go around the back way to the residence of these rebels, as they would be ripping out onto Wright Rd. My husband did not heed the warning about going around the back loop to Kilinoe & preceded to turn into Kilinoe St. from Wright Rd. A black car which appeared to have busted out head lights, from the same residence as the shocking green car ripped out of Kilinoe St, nearly missing my husband, spinning out on Wright Rd.
Within the past few days at the same residence (two story green house, 2nd house on right of Kilinoe St.), my husband saw a red car license # FJT 592 w/a busted out back window being towed there by another car w/a rope, & dropped off on the frontage of Kilinoe St. in front of that same residence. This car appears to be illegal & I'm assuming that would be considered an abandoned car parked on the frontage of Kilinoe St. Can't imagine that the black car w/the busted out head lights is legal either. Our next step is to call Abandoned Cars.
The danger, (the noise, illegal cars) these people cause that reside at this home on Kilinoe St. is frightening. Can't understand why in this nice Volcano Village Neighborhood (we've live here for 11 1/2 years) something cannot be done legally about this situation by the police. At least a few cars at this residence (which is a very small lot under 1/4 of an acre) & the red car (an eyesore) which appears to be illegal parked on the roadside of Kilinoe St., that some action can't be taken to resolve this problem.
Another problem that is disturbing at this residence is all the trash that is piled up in the front yard, not only is it an eyesore, it could become a health issue. An animal of some sort must have gotten into their trash as it was spread all over Kilinoe St. in front of the green house one day recently. Homes in this neighborhood are consider a single family dwelling unit, & the Hawaii Landlord Tenant code states:related by blood or marriage or five unrelated responsible people. Responsibility is not occurring in this green house, I have not seen the owner living in there either (met him one day & don't think he has sold his house, can check that out w/his relatives that reside in Volcano Village), feel the number of people residing there is something that could be investigated also."
Concerned Resident of Volcano Village
Webmaster's Note: This subject arises again and again. Perhaps neighbors in the vicinity should meet to discuss a solution.
2 MORE INCIDENTS
Saturday, June 9
MLE
1) Tourists reported thefts about mid-morning today at a B&B near 12th & Ruby. One guest lost an iPod, two chargers and other small items while another guest reported the theft of gourmet foods. Witnesses reported seeing a "white, 30-ish looking man in the bushes, with a backpack on." At first they thought he might have been a guest and was crouching in the bushes to respect their privacy, then later realized he was not supposed to be there. The police were to be notified.
2) In another break-in, a homeowner near 12th & Pearl reported that thieves were undeterred by his barking dogs. Police were notified although further details are unknown at this time.
A neighbor reported seeing an unfamiliar tall, dark clad
person in the area just before noon today. Still on other days, an unfamiliar tall, slender, pale faced teen, with dark hair and eyes, has been seen walking both along Pearl and cross streets.
TWO INCIDENTS
Tuesday, May 29
MLE near 11th & Pearl:
Police estimate that sometime between 10 am ~ 11 am today, someone kicked in the garage service door to this person's home. To enter via this door, they would have had to pass the resident's large dog which barks whenever strangers approach. The thieves stole a laptop computer, printer, wireless mouse connector, ZIP drive, memory stick and back-up disc, yet left other valuable items untouched leading the police and resident to believe the thieves may have been interrupted.
According to the resident of the home who notified me of this incident, another home in MLE near 9th & Ruby was also broken into in the same manner sometime after the reported incident. I will try to follow up on the second incident tomorrow. Stay tuned to this website.
Others in the neighborhood reported seeing an older red pickup with teenagers piled in the back in the vicinity. It is unknown whether or not the vehicle sighting is related to the burglaries.
UPDATE
With regard to the two reported incidents in MLE on May 29th, yet another burglary occurred in the same area that day but the resident only mentioned it in passing recently to Kathy Rigg. In that case, the home apparently had little that interested the thief/thieves so they took only clothes and a backpack. Fast forward to the incidents reported June 9th where a guest reported seeing someone in the forest ... Kathy recalls the same type of thing happening several years ago in the same subdivision when an occupant had a brother who was wanted, staying with them off and on. Turned out he was spending the off time living in the forest and creeping around homes and stealing. He was eventually caught and jailed. Don't know if it is the same person although if someone was living in the forest it could be a scenario for some of these items.
Just to update you on our break-in near 11th Pearl - it took a few days to notice that a digital camera with a 1GB disk and jewelry were also taken.
An MLE resident on Ruby ID'd a red Dodge pick-up truck, clean and in good condition about mid-90's model in the driveway of the home near 9th & Ruby on the day of the break-in.
INCIDENT
Thursday, May 24
Kaleponi near Alii Kane in HOIE:
Sometime during the night, thieves cut through a heavy chain link strand of a driveway where a house was under construction and stole building equipment including fencing and cement as well as power tools. During the day preceding the incident, neighbors noticed two unfamiliar vehicles and occupants in the immediate area. One vehicle is described as beat up green Pinto with two heavy-set locals inside and the other was a white Suzuki Samurai convertible occupied by three locals of average build, perhaps in their 30's.
INCIDENT
Thursday, May 10
Iiwi Road:
"Things usually seem to be very peaceful and quiet around here - which we love and is why we're here - but last night, after dark, around 7:15 pm, we had three young people (one male, two females, early to mid 20's) knock on our front door. We did have our front porch light on - my husband had just returned from picking up our dinner order - so maybe that is what attracted them - anyway, my husband went to the door. The three were dressed like 60's type hippies ( women in long skirts, male with full beard and long unkempt hair with knit hat). The man asked if we would be interested in a DVD of his music (which he said was "quiet and soothing") - they were accepting donations and one of the women also suggested my husband look at her anti-aging creams (which she mentioned came from South Point), the other woman mentioned the male was with the "Hilo Orchestra (he was carrying a large ukulele or small guitar case). I noticed one of the women kept peering past the door, into the house. They were in no way combative, and when my husband said he was not interested, they left without incident. I just thought it was very 'unusual' (to say the least) - we live off Iiwi on a very sparsely populated gravel road. They appeared to be on foot - we did not see a vehicle. One of the women also handed my husband a religious brochure. Again, it seemed very suspicious. I thought the incident was worth noting. We will try to be here and attend the Neighborhood Watch meeting in June. Thank you for your time and concern."
- Anonymous
INCIDENT
Wednesday, May 2
VGC:
A home on Pukeawe
Circle in Volcano Golf Course was burglarized sometime between Sunday night and today while the owners were away. A neighbor noticed a light
colored 4 door sedan, probably newer than 2000, but couldn't
identify model. The home was all lit up. The police were
notified. The thieves took, among other things, a big flat screen TV.
INCIDENT
Thursday, April 19th:
I reported to the police and it was suggested by the new (Community Patrol) CP officer that I could let you know.
While my family and I were at work, my neighbor on Haunani let me know that there was a silver-bluish, older model compact sedan that pulled all the way down into my driveway. When they didn't leave, she [my neighbor] came over to see who they were. There was a male driver, Hawaiian-Chinese-Filipino smaller stature. The female passenger was a larger woman; she thought around 200 pounds with two front teeth missing. They claimed to be looking for someone. The female had gotten out of the car and was going around to the back of my house. It was also unusual because my son usually rides his bike to work and the car is always home next door. Just happened that his car was also gone that day. Not sure if others have seen this couple around the neighborhood doing the same time or if they are legit. Felt better to error on the side of caution and let people know. Thank goodness for a nosey neighbor! Sorry, she forgot to get license plate number. I'll remind her to use her picture phone next time.
Thank you for maintaining such a wonderful website. Great information, especially the message to our famous Mr. Green car who we thought was off our road when they moved. He is back! Mahalo for helping to keep our neighborhood safe.
- Anonymous
JERSEY DEVIL FOLLOWUP
Mid-April:
Matthew A. Thomas has been performing volunteer community service at the Cooper Center according to Linda Ugalde.
JERSEY DEVIL
Monday, March 19
Received the following telephone tip at 5:30 PM -
"The white truck is HJM-825 Packed solid in the back with stuff and the front seat also. Could not get a good look at the man inside and couldn't see if anyone was with him.
I followed him along a circuitous route staring on 12th and Ruby to Pearl, then he turned right on 10th and went to Jade. Turned left on Jade and then turned right on 9th. 9th is a dead end off Jade with no houses. He was moving very slowly the whole time. He pulled to the left side of the street about half way down and just stayed there."
As I was on my way home from the Village at the time, I slipped over there and found the guy parked on 9th makai of Jade as described. I sat and watched while the apparent driver of the truck sat on the road near the passenger door. Shortly thereafter, another man emerged from the forest opposite the white truck, so thinking we had something sinister in progress, I called a homeowner who lives in proximity to Jade and 9th, agreeing to sit in his driveway until he returned home to secure his premises.
As luck would have it, the homeowner recognized one of the people under observation and took it upon himself to approach both of the men. He discovered that the one emerging from the forest had a legitimate right to be there, while our main suspect provided reasons of his own. I followed his lead and approached the driver of the white truck myself and this is what I learned:
His name is Mathew A. Thomas. A New Jersey native, he's relatively new to the island. Although homeless and "living" on a piece of property adjacent his truck, he apparently has the owner's permission to stay there. He said he had advertised to rent a small place for about $250 a month when this landowner invited him to stay on his parcel free of charge for a while. I didn't verify his claim but felt fairly certain he was telling the truth. He's actually quite likeable although a bit stand-offish. He apparently knew he was under surveillance and had been encouraged to approach our Neighborhood Watch Association to explain himself. I encouraged him to show his face at Farmer's Market and get to know people if he plans on staying in the area.
I think we'll be seeing more of Mathew, and I look forward to learning more about him.
While I'm satisfied that he's not our suspect, the fact remains that another couple drives a similar vehicle and is guilty of at least one unlawful entry as was reported earlier. Let's continue our vigilance. A big "thanks" to those who helped track down the Jersey Devil.
FOLLOW UP
(to most recent incident)
Information submitted by a resident of MLE:
"I was out walking the dogs about 6am this morning [Saturday, March 17] on Nahelenani heading toward Liona. A white
p\u truck with a camper was heading toward us. I didn't have my glasses, but it appeared to be a Mazda (late '80s or
early '90s). I did not get the number, but may have been HTF or HTC-xxx. Sorry there's no more information, but
I'll be wearing my glasses in the future.
The picture below is somewhat like what I saw. This is a 1992 2wd, but my sighting is probably slightly older."
INCIDENT
Thursday, March 15 - 7:45 am
MLE
"I live near Tenth and Pearl. This morning at 7:45 a white pickup truck with matching white camper shell drove into in my neighbor's driveway. The property is fenced so he could only go a short way in. He looked liked he was 'scoping out' the place until he saw that my neighbor was watching him. He then reversed out and slowly proceeded back down Tenth Street for several hundred feet. He got out of the truck and walked around for a minute or so and then left. He turned left on Pearl.
The truck is an older model Nissan or Toyota but did not look 'busted up.' The driver looked kind of unkempt. I thought I saw a women alongside him. Looked like she had very long blond hair.
My neighbor only got the part of license plate number, HJM xxx. It may be nothing, but the driver seemed
a little unsettled when he discovered that someone was watching him.
Another thing. My neighbor's two dogs appeared at the gate, barking. When the driver stopped down the road he saw that my neighbor and I were out on the road watching him. Hopefully he got the message. One of the dogs is part pit bull and looks like she can do a lot of damage."
INCIDENT
Monday, March 5 - 4:30 am
Liona Street in Ohia Estates
"A young tan pit bull dog appeared at my house, causing my dogs to warn me of his presence. I tried to scare the dog away but it seemed friendly and was too interested in my dogs to leave. I called a nearby friend to help chase the dog away. We got the dog to go to the street and it started running down Liona toward the highway. Meanwhile, a car was driving by slowly. The car didn't stop nor did anyone roll down a window to speak with us, although we were merely 20 feet away. The car continued down Liona toward the highway, picked up the dog, turned around and again slowly drove past us without a word.
Afterward, I tried to remember details about the car but could only remember that it was a dark, late model sedan."
INCIDENT
Tuesday, February 20, 2:15 am
Volcano Village
"We live on Kilauea Place. On Sunday late afternoon, February 18, my husband happened to look out the window and saw two men running along the border of the house across the street (our neighbor has lawn and the next lot is very densely forested) and disappearing into the forest toward the back of the lot. They parked their (large white work truck) in front of our property. We wondered why they were running if they were doing some work in the neighborhood, plus it was after 5pm on a Sunday. We observed for awhile and called our neighbor to alert her. When they did not come out in fifteen minutes or so, we called the police. In about 30 minutes they came out of the woods and talked with some men in a dark van now also parked near our property. They then left. The police did not arrive for another 15-20 minutes, so the strangers were long gone by the time the police came. We gave them the license of the white truck and they said they would look around the neighborhood.
Then early this morning, February 20, we were awakened about 2:15 am when the electricity went out. We called HELCO to see if it was an area problem and while on the phone our outdoor carport sensor light went on and my husband saw two men running past as if they had been in the carport. One had a gray hooded sweatshirt on and the other a dark jacket, burgundy or black. The sighting was too brief to really see what they looked like. We immediately called the police thinking they may have cut our power and were planning a home invasion. We waited about 30 minutes again before the police came and took the report. The police said the electricity was off all over the neighborhood but they would look around again. We were pretty much sleepless until the electricity came on again sometime later in the morning.
This definitely unnerved us since we always felt pretty safe in our neighborhood since it is somewhat off the beaten track. Now we're considering a watch dog and some kind of armed force. We hate to have to think like this but we are in a rural area and it takes the police quite awhile to show up."
ALERT!! February 1, 2007
Received a call moments ago from Kathy Rigg, providing reliable identifying information about people responsible for some of the thefts in Volcano. As follows:
Even as the February issue of the Volcano Community News appears in your mailbox, retracting info about the white truck with camper shell from January's newsletter, the retraction, itself, is now being repealed. It's an older white Datsun pickup with a white camper shell, Hawaii license plate number: HTC xxx. The occupants are a tall, thin native man and a woman with dark hair.
Please note that while the small white truck makes an appearance in the January 15th incident (below), the woman's description is different.
This information was provided by a Volcano resident who has experienced a great deal of loss due to theft, and identifies the aforementioned as the thieves. Apparently the couple are no strangers to the police, but let's not blame our police when it is the court who releases the catch like some game fishing entity.
For Neighborhood Watch programs to be effective, we have to trust that our efforts are respected. We need representatives from the court and police present at our Neighborhood Watch meetings, not just the latter. We need intelligent answers to provocative questions.
INCIDENT
Monday, January 15 - 5:30 am
"We are located near the corner of Wright Road and Laukapu Road, not far from Chalet Kilauea. We were sitting at our kitchen table. My husband noticed that the security light went on and at first was not concerned, because our cats come and go and often set off the light. He then noticed that someone was walking across the front of our house. He was looking out the window and saw that our cats were all rushing out of the garage and couldn't figure out what was happening. We leave our garage door a bit ajar so that our cats can come and go. Anyhow, I heard a doorknob turn and thought it was my husband opening the front door to go out and see what was going on, then I saw something out of the corner of my eye and when I turned around, I saw a woman standing right there inside my house! I stared at her so I could remember what she looked like and then said "how did you get in here?" She said "oh, I am sorry, my friend Dave had parked his car in your driveway and ---------. I asked her again "how did you get in here?" By then my husband realized that someone was in our kitchen. He said "she probably slid under the garage door." And she said "yes, I did, but well, I think I will be going now." She then turned around, went back into the garage and once again slipped under the garage door. We called the police and after about a half hour, we saw a car drive off. They had been parked just off the side of our driveway. We had no idea that they had parked there, so we didn't get a license number. All we could determine was that it was a The woman was in her late 20's or early 30's. She was of medium height and very thin, of fair-complexion, and wore her straight blonde hair just below the shoulders. She was wearing dark pants and a dark brown long sleeve pullover top. She also had a tan sweater wrapped around her waist. She appeared to be a bit spacy and we think she may have been high on drugs. We later measured the distance between the garage door and the floor of the garage and found that it was just 8", so she had to have been quite thin to fit under there. We did not see "Dave" at all. He may have been lurking around, at another house or perhaps waiting for her to open the back door of the garage to let him in. We also think that she didn't realize that the door she went to was not the back door to the garage. We normally keep the door between the garage and our laundry room locked but I had fed our cats earlier and did not relock it. This morning (Jan. 16) as we were traveling on Laukapu Road, we noticed car lights at the mid point of Laukapu. The lights went off soon after and though we drove very slowly down Laukapu, we were not able to find out what car the lights came from. This whole incident has been very unsettling and we want as many people in Volcano to know about this woman and man."
INCIDENT
Saturday, November 11, afternoon and evening:
Mauna Loa Estates
Received a report of an old dark green compact so overloaded with people driving up and down 10th Street that it scraped the newly paved road. A partial license plate number "596" was seen and police were notified.
INCIDENT
Sunday, November 5th, 6:00 PM ~ 7:00 PM:
"Hawaiian Orchid Isle Estates
A vehicle crept up and down Huaka'i Street at least twice with its lights off and once more with lights on. By the final pass, just before 7 PM, I was waiting for it in the shadows at the top of the driveway, and as it passed I shone my flashlight in the driver's face. He glanced at the light and turned away and kept going. While I didn't get a good look at the man driving the pickup truck, I did see that he wasn't alone. I failed to get a plate number but the pickup was readily identifiable as an early 50's model American made pickup. I didn't have the presence of mind to bring the camera so I went online and found a pickup that looks quite like it. The pickup I saw was maybe a two-tone black on brown styleside pickup with wooden rails surrounding the bed much like this picture. The actual truck looked well cared-for, too.
I first "noticed" it by the sound it made and glanced out my shop window as it passed: no lights. A little while later, same thing. Then, as I said, I "met" it as it approached, this time with the lights on. The other thing I noticed about it was that the headlights were round and bright, and particularly large.
I did the good neighbor thing and began calling those I knew in my subdivision. It was a good reminder to update my phone list and welcome new residents to the area."
INCIDENT
Wednesday, May 10, 2006:
Mauna Loa Estates: A homeowner (who wishes to remain anonymous) reported the theft of two bikes and a telescope. Their tenant came home at 2 AM and noticed their heavy wooden garage door had been forcibly pried open. Tools from the garage were neatly piled just inside and outside of the garage door and a third bike had been loaded into the homeowner’s truck. The implication was that the thief (thieves?) already stole two bikes and were either planning a return trip (perhaps for the truck!) or fled when headlights came down the street. The police came promptly and took information and dusted for prints. If you should observe someone with 1) a shiny chrome bike or 2) a new GIANT brand 17" Silver Cypress bike, please notify the webmaster. Thanks.
- Tom
PS: The person reporting the above theft also heard casual mention made of the full-size late model dark blue with beige trim SUV I reported on April 17. Curious, that.
INCIDENT
Friday, April 28, 2006
The Volcano Visitor Center kiosk located in front of the True Value Hardware Store was heavily damaged when thieves attempted to forcibly remove the ATM machine located on the front of the building. Apparently the thieves gave up after breaking a window to the kiosk and discovering the ATM's interior door stood ajar, suggesting the machine was devoid of cash.
Once again, the police responded promptly and dusted for fingerprints.
- Tom
INCIDENT
April 17, about 6:15pm:
While driving makai on Pearl in MLE, and in the process of turning left at 7th street, the vehicle behind me snapped a picture of me. I saw the flash through my mirror. I caught up with the vehicle and motioned for the driver to stop. Asked if he indeed snapped my picture, he hesitated and then denied it. Again hesitating, he added that he "saw something," too.
I didn't think to get his plate number nor a full description of the vehicle, but what I remember is that it was a full-size late model SUV; dark blue with beige trim. The driver was of dark complexion with a mustache. I'm guessing he was in his late 30's.
Now, perhaps he's a member of the Neighborhood Watch Team, himself, but I haven't seen him at meetings, nor did I recognize him from anywhere else.
If you have had a similar experience, or can shed any light on this incident, please notify the webmaster (below) ASAP.
- Tom
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