On June 19, 2023, at 7:49 a.m., the Hilo patrol officers responded to a burglary report at the office of the Merrie Monarch Festival. The office is situated in the 800 block of Pi‘ilani Street (Report #23-059241). According to the report, unknown individual(s) broke into the establishment sometime between 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, June 18, and 7:00 a.m. on Monday, June 19, and stole various items worth over $2,700.

Initially, it was reported that 12 Merrie Monarch medals had been stolen, but upon further investigation, it was discovered that only eight medals were missing.

Continuing their investigation into the Merrie Monarch burglary on Tuesday morning, June 20, the Hilo patrol officers responded to a trespassing call at 9:17 a.m. The incident occurred at a closed business located in the 390 block of Hualani Street in Hilo. The property manager reported that an unknown number of suspects had unlawfully entered the premises. Upon arrival, the officers found 36-year-old Dayson Eblacas from Ewa Beach, Oahu, and 30-year-old Makua Amituanai from Pāhoa inside the business. Both individuals were arrested for first-degree criminal trespass (Report #23-059608) as they were suspected of squatting on the property.

Later that same day, the Hawai‘i Police Department’s Area I Criminal Investigation Section Crime Reduction Unit obtained a search warrant for the business where the arrests took place. At 7:05 p.m. on Tuesday evening, the police executed the search warrant and successfully recovered stolen property from the Merrie Monarch Festival office. The recovered items included eight Merrie Monarch medals, electronic devices, and clothing articles.

Both suspects, Dayson Eblacas and Makua Amituanai, are currently in custody at the Hawai’i Police Department East Hawai’i Detention Center, pending further investigation. The police are actively investigating the Merrie Monarch burglary and anticipate making additional arrests and filing charges related to the burglary.

The investigation is being conducted by the Hawai‘i Police Department’s Area I Criminal Investigation Section Crime Reduction Unit. Anyone with information regarding these incidents is urged to contact the police department’s non-emergency line at (808) 935-3311 or reach out to Detective John Balberde at john.balberde@hawaiicounty.gov.

For anonymous tipsters, Crime Stoppers can be contacted at (808) 961-8300. There is a possibility of receiving a reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to an arrest. Crime Stoppers maintains confidentiality and does not record calls or subscribe to caller ID.

Please note that the photo of Makua Amituanai is provided, but a photo of Dayson Eblacas is currently unavailable.