On Sunday, December 18, Gene Tamashiro of Hilo was arrested by DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) officers and charged with two violations of Hawai‘i Administrative Rules (HAR).

DOCARE alleges Tamashiro and 15 other individuals began digging ground up in the state park culminating with the planting of an estimated 165 keiki coconut palms. A DOCARE officer observed Tamashiro excavating the ground and planting a juvenile coconut palm near the rear of the Kamehameha Statue. He was later arrested by Department of Public Safety sheriffs and held at the Hawai‘i County Police Department cell block until he posted $500.00 bail.

The plantings were in violation of the following HAR, which carry a petty misdemeanor penalty:

• Destruction/Disturbance of Geological Features without a Permit (HAR 13-146-23)
• Planting/introducing new plants (HAR 13-146-32(g)

This is the fourth time over the past nine years that Tamashiro was cited for and arrested for the same offense.

In 2013, Tamashiro and several others were cited following an illegal planting operation in the park. In Jan. 2021 he was again cited for three violations of Hawai‘i Administrative Rules (HAR) for planting several hundred plants.  A crew from the DLNR Division of State Parks removed illegally planted taro and banana trees at that time. Ten days later, on Jan. 17, 2021, he was arrested at Iolani Palace after scaling and jumping the fence, after being denied permission to gather with supporters to mark the anniversary of the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom.

Tamashiro is scheduled to appear in Hilo District Court on Jan. 10, 2023 for these latest charges.