Police Beat
Advertiser Staff
Cigarettes taken in store holdup
Police are looking for two masked men who used a gun to rob the Kailua Times Supermarket Monday evening of 50 cartons of cigarettes.
Two men entered the supermarket at 590 Kailua Road at 9:21 p.m. wearing black ski masks, police said. One of the men showed a small handgun to the cashiers, while the other man stuffed the cartons of cigarettes into a brown garbage bag. The men then ran from the store.
Gunman robs service station
A man robbed a Pearl City gas station yesterday morning.
The man entered the Chevron station at 777 Kamehameha Highway at 6:15 a.m. with a handgun and demanded money, police said. The cashier handed the money to the man, who then ran off.
Would-be robbers smash windshield
Three men are being sought after one of them used a baseball bat to smash a car windshield during an attempted robbery yesterday in Mililani.
At 10:39 p.m., three men armed with brass knuckles and a baseball bat confronted a group of six people outside the Mililani Jack-in-a-Box restaurant, demanding money and CDs. When the group refused, one of the men smashed the rear windshield of a victim's car, police said. The men fled the scene when they realized police had been called.
Big Isle fund raiser deemed legitimate
Hawai'i County police yesterday confirmed that a Hawai'i State Sheriff Association fund raising to purchase nonbudgeted equipment, including bulletproof vests, is legitimate.
Hawai'i County police had sent out a Nov. 18 press release warning the public about a possible telemarketing scam, saying local Kailua, Kona business establishments had reported receiving calls from an unidentified male caller.
The caller reportedly was claiming to represent the Hawai'i County Police Department in soliciting monetary donations from local businesses to aid in the purchase of bulletproof vests for Hawai'i County police officers.
The police news release noted that "the Hawai'i County Police Department does not solicit private donations for official use."
The sheriff's association later notified Hawai'i County police that it was conducting the campaign. The nonprofit organization has been conducting a money drive to supplement the budget of the State Sheriff Division.
Anyone who wants to verify the legitimacy of the drive may call the Kona Sheriff's Office at 326-5770, the Hilo Sheriff's Office at 933-8833 or the project office at (808) 331-2966, a spokesman for the association said.
High-speed chase ends with arrest
KONA, Hawai'i — A 36-year-old man who reportedly led police on a high-speed pursuit from Ali'i Drive in North Kona through South Kona and Ka'u was arrested early Monday.
The driver, identified as James Willis, is being held in the Kona police cellblock pending further investigation.
At times during the pursuit, Willis exceeded speeds of 90 mph, police said. The driver was seen throwing items out of the window, and at times, drove down the centerline with his lights off, forcing oncoming traffic off the road, according to police.
Police said the pursuit began at 1:04 a.m. on Ali'i Drive in North Kona when a patrol officer found the driver asleep at the wheel of a running vehicle.
The officer recognized the driver as possibly being someone with an outstanding bench warrant.
Upon being awakened, the driver disregarded the officer's orders to turn off the engine and instead sped off, police said.
