HPD officer pleads not guilty to theft
By Brandon Masuoka and Johnny Brannon
Advertiser Staff Writers
One of two top-ranking Honolulu police officers pleaded not guilty yesterday in Circuit Court on a felony charge that he diverted food intended for prisoners at the main station and used it to feed police officers.
Richard Ambo • The Honolulu Advertiser
Maj. Jeffrey Owens appeared in court with his attorney, Darwin Ching.
Honolulu police Maj. Jeffrey Owens, left, listened yesterday as he was arraigned in Circuit Court on theft charges.
Outside the courtroom, Owens made a short statement thanking his friends and fellow officers for their support and also said he looked forward to his day in court to explain his side of the story, his attorney said.
On Thursday, Assistant Chief Rafael Fajardo Jr., 59, the highest-ranking police officer ever indicted in Honolulu, and Owens, 50, head of the Traffic Division, were each indicted on a charge of second-degree theft.
Owens' trial is set for Oct. 29 before Circuit Judge Karl Sakamoto. Fajardo will be arraigned on Thursday and will plead not guilty, according to his attorney, Howard Luke.
The theft charge carries a prison term of up to five years and a fine of up to $10,000.
"I hope the actions of the two officers that have been indicted don't reflect poorly on the entire police department," said City Deputy Prosecutor Randal Lee yesterday.
"There are hard-working and honest officers with the police department. Like any large organization, a few bad ones make it worse for those in the organization."
Police Chief Lee Donohue has said he would immediately relieve both officers of their police powers and command responsibilities. They will be assigned to desk jobs, he said.
Meanwhile, the State of Hawai'i Organization of Police Officers is expected to decide today whether police rank and file will evaluate Donohue's leadership with a no-confidence vote, the union's O'ahu chairman, Detective Alex Garcia, said.
But he said there did not appear to be overwhelming support for his call that Donohue and his command staff resign.
"It's pretty split right now," Garcia said. "The guys are not happy with the way the administration handled this, but some feel it's pretty strong to ask them to resign."
