Hawaii County Police arrested 17 people and cited 18 for acts prohibited during the Emergency Management declarations currently in place for COVID-19, during the week of April 22 through 28, 2020.
The arrests and citations are broken down by district:
- South Hilo District: 11 persons arrested, 9 persons cited
- North Kohala: 2 persons arrested
- Kona District: 1 person arrested, 4 persons cited
- South Kohala District: 1 person arrested, 2 persons cited
- Puna District: 1 person arrested, 1 person cited
- Hāmākua: 1 person arrested
- Kaʻū District: 2 persons cited
Four of the seventeen arrests were specific to visitors violating the 14-day travel self-quarantine (Three arrests in South Hilo and one arrest in Kona).
During this past week: Other unrelated criminal offenses, which prompted the police response and subsequent arrest of the suspects, involved Robbery, Unauthorized Control of Propelled Motor Vehicle (UCPV), Theft, Abuse Family Household Member, Disorderly Conduct, Criminal Property Damage, Criminal Tampering, and Operating a Vehicle Under the Influence of Intoxicants/DUI. Some of the behavior exhibited by violators to whom citations were issued consisted of disregarding repeated warning by police, traffic/motor vehicle offenses, congregating/loitering on/alongside the road, or at a park/beach area.
The Hawaii Police Department five-week combined total enforcement stands at 267 individual offenses (72 arrests, 186 citations issued, and 9 additional cases.
Governor David Ige’s current Emergency Proclamation says all people in the state must stay at home or their place of residence, except for trips for food or medicine or other critical supplies, or to exercise, and except for those traveling to work in critical businesses. The Governor’s Sixth Emergency Proclamation is here.
Sub-section F of the Supplementary Proclamation specifies the penalty associated with violations as follows:
- Criminal Penalties – Any person who intentionally or knowingly violates any provision set forth in this Section I shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction, the person shall be fined not more than $5,000, or imprisoned not more than one year, or both.
Hawai‘i Police Department has continued enforcement of this order when appropriate, primarily in cases of non-compliance after verbal warnings or when in conjunction with unrelated calls for service. The Hawaii Police Departmen’s five-week combined total enforcement stands at 267 individual offenses (72 arrests, 186 citations issued, and 9 additional cases.