State probes raid on campers
By Jan TenBruggencate
Advertiser Kaua'i Bureau
LIHU'E, Kaua'i — The state attorney general's office is investigating allegations that state conservation enforcement officers brought alcoholic beverages with them during a sweep of illegal campers in Kalalau Valley in July, and that they shared it with female campers, one of whom was a juvenile.
State officials said they have received the complaints and are investigating them.
The allegations were presented to state officials within days after Department of Land and Natural Resources officers helicoptered into the valley on a sweep of illegal camping activities, said Imua Ikaika Pratt, 52, of Makaweli, Kaua'i.
Pratt said he was in the valley clearing brush from a Hawaiian temple site near the valley's rivermouth at the time of the raids. He said he had been there five months. Pratt was among those cited for camping without a permit.
Kalalau is the largest of the valleys along Kaua'i's Na Pali Coast. It is reached from an arduous 11-mile cliffside trail. The valley has a wide, white sand beach, a year-round flowing stream and a waterfall that drops directly onto the shore, where campers shower.
The state limits campers to 60 per night in summer, and they pay a $10-per-night fee. State officials said that on some summer nights there are as many illegal campers as ones with permits.
The state Department of Land and Natural Resources in a statement in July, reported that conservation enforcement agents had entered Kalalau Valley, a part of the Na Pali Coast State Park, in mid-July, and cited 49 people on charges of illegal camping, illegal entry and related offenses. One 54-year-old man was arrested on various charges, including giving false information and resisting arrest.
The raid also turned up what was described as the Kalalau library, a collection of 331 books, magazines and other materials that were shared by campers and illegal residents of the valley. The statement said the library, hidden in the valley, was being maintained by one of the illegal residents of the valley. Its reading materials were removed by helicopter.
Pratt, who said he has been visiting Kalalau for many years, said enforcement officers set up their own camp near the beach, and had beer with them.
"You're not even supposed to be bringing alcohol into state parks," he said.
The officers forced beer on a 19-year-old girl, who they knew to be under the legal drinking age because they had taken her identification documents, Pratt said.
Pratt said he and others filed an extensive complaint with the state attorney general's office, as well as with other agencies.
State officials would not comment on details of the allegations, but said they have been made aware of the charges and are looking into them.
"The Department of Land and Natural Resources, along with the Department of Attorney General, is currently investigating the complaints," said Deborah Ward, information specialist with the Department of Land and Natural Resources.
Reach Jan TenBruggencate at jant@honoluluadvertiser.com or (808) 245-3074.
