Posted on: Friday, March 23, 2001

Escapee crashes into HPD's front steps

By Rod Ohira
Advertiser Staff Writer

A 26-year-old escapee from the Laumaka Work Furlough Center picked the wrong place to crash his car yesterday.

Dwayne Medeiros, who failed to return to Laumaka on March 12, was captured after the car he was driving veered off South Beretania Street and crashed in front of Honolulu Police Department headquarters about 7:30 a.m., Department of Public Safety officials confirmed.

Medeiros was taken to the Queen's Medical Center and later released. He was not believed to be seriously hurt.

Police reportedly found drug paraphernalia outside the damaged vehicle.

The car severed a utility pole, which fell on top of the car and damaged the railing at HPD's front entrance.

"It's fortunate that no one was hurt because that's the time people are on their way to work," HPD spokeswoman Michelle Yu said.

Yu said there was no police chase of Medeiros. She said the metal railings were "twisted and torn" from the steps.

Medeiros was one of three men who walked away from the minimum-security facility this month.

The other two are Patrick Molioo, 28, who failed to return Tuesday night, and Arnold Wilets, 35, who has been missing since Sunday.