Police arrest 2 on suspicion of squatting in Big Island home

HONOLULU — Big Island police say two people were arrested after they were found squatting in a vacant home in a neighborhood hit by lava flows during the Kilauea volcano eruption.

The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports police arrested a man and a woman on suspicion of trespassing after officers responded to complaints at a vacant home in Leilani Estates on Christmas Day.

Officers found a firearm, leading to the man also being arrested on suspicion of possession of an altered weapon.

Some vacant homes in the subdivision have been a target of squatting and looting.

The Hawaii County Police Department says it’s working with residents and the Leilani Community Association to address the problem.

Evacuation orders were issued in May as lava approached the neighborhood. Residents were allowed to return in September.

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Information from: Honolulu Star-Advertiser, http://www.staradvertiser.com