LIHUE — A crime prevention group has issued a reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of two young men caught on surveillance cameras entering a Kilauea home. Citizens Against Thieves put up a $1,500 reward to show
LIHUE — A crime prevention group has issued a reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of two young men caught on surveillance cameras entering a Kilauea home.
Citizens Against Thieves put up a $1,500 reward to show support for the Kilauea family whose home was broken into. More of a crime watch and victim advocacy group than a fundraising organization, CAT members pledged money to support victims and draw awareness.
“We are trying to get the public aware of the problem we have again with burglaries on island,” said Bob Warren, founder of CAT.
The recent Kilauea incident is one instance of unauthorized entry and theft and part of a spike in North Shore burglaries in recent months. It has put the North Shore on alert for a string of burglaries dating back to July.
Home surveillance footage shows what appears to be two young men looking through a window into the Kilauea home from its porch, and then the men hurry in and out when the family is in another room.
“With this one there are pictures and that made the difference,” Warren said. “We are not in the dark here.”
The Kauai Police Department would not state how many burglaries have occurred but issued a press release asking residents to be on alert after a higher than usual number of burglaries were reported from Kilauea to Hanalaei.
CAT formed in 2012 in response to several break-ins with a reported loss of jewelry, heirlooms, safes and other small but valuable items.
The crime spree ended with the arrest and conviction of a few people.
CAT members have petitioned the court for stronger sentences and attended sentencing hearings with the victims to let the judges know how the crimes have hurt their lives.
“Ninety percent of the crimes are committed by 20 people,” Warren said. “They are professional thieves and criminals who are being arrested hundreds of times and convicted 40 times and then spend 14 days in jail. They had their chance and now they need to be off the street.”
For information on the reward email catcitizens@gmail.com and visit www.citizensagainstthieves.com. Contact Kauai Police Department at 241-1711 and Crime Stoppers at 241-1887.
