Posted on: Sunday, December 30, 2001

Four Big Island residents charged in break-in

By Karen Blakeman
Advertiser Staff Writer

Big Island police arrested four neighbors of a man who was fatally shot by a police officer three days before Christmas, charging them with burglary and assault.

Three of the four members of the Kahee family of Kupono Street in Leilani Estates also face drug charges.

Santiago Vasquez, 39, of Leilani Estates, was shot dead Dec. 22 by a three-year police veteran who had ordered Vasquez to drop a dagger.

Vasquez refused to drop the weapon, with which he had been threatening one member of the Kahee family, and was shot twice in the chest by the officer.

Police later came to believe that Vasquez had been protecting himself and a woman companion from the Kahees. The woman required medical treatment at Hilo Medical Center.

Investigators said the four Kahee family members, upset over a domestic dispute that involved a member of their family, Vasquez and the woman, forced their way into Vasquez's home.

Leroy K. Kahee, 46, Yvonne M. Samson, 49, Kawika B. Kahee, 18 and Keola M. Kahee, 20, then assaulted the woman and Vasquez, police say.

All four were arrested Dec. 27 and charged with burglary and assault.

Keola Kahee was later released pending further investigation, and police searched the Kahee family home.

Following that search, additional charges of promoting a detrimental drug were brought against Leroy Kahee and Yvonne Samson.

Leroy Kahee was being held on $9,100 bond; Samson on $3,600 bond and Kawika Kahee on $2,500 bond, police said.