LIHUE — Every month, the Kauai Police Department provides the county Police Commission with a written summary of notable crimes and incidents. Last month’s issue was an interesting one.
All of the quotes in this article were taken from the KPD’s monthly report. See the online version of this article to read the original document.
Here are some highlights from the KPD’s Police Commission Monthly Report for September 2019.
“Detectives responded to a report of an adult male subject who got his beard wrapped around a forklift drive shaft.”
When police arrived, they found the body of a man “stuck in the engine compartment of the forklift.” He wasn’t breathing and “appeared to have suffered a broken neck.” Detectives later discovered that the man had recently moved here from Maui for a job working with “locomotives and other equipment” at Kauai Freight Service in Puhi.
“The decedent got his long beard wrapped around a running driveshaft while working on the fork lift, pulling him into the engine compartment, causing a fatal injury.”
“An adult female reported being the victim of a kidnapping.”
The woman told police her ex-boyfriend forced her into his vehicle. When they got to Rainbow Gas Mini Mart in Wailua, she jumped out of the car and ran away to Horners Beach, where she grabbed her cell phone and called the cops.
Police couldn’t find the man at his home, but he turned up at the station a short time later and described the situation differently, denying the kidnapping allegations and telling officers that “he and the female have been in an on-again, off-again relationship.”
He said the incident began when he drove by Horners and he saw his ex-girlfriend “buying dope” and “stopped there to check up on her, even though he has an active protective order against her.” In the man’s version of the story, the woman got into his car voluntarily and they drove to the Kinipopo Shopping Village parking lot, where they “started to talk.”
“Due to conflicting statements, no arrest made.”
“An adult male from Waimea was discovered deceased across from his residence at a picnic table.”
Police contacted the family of the dead man, who told officers “that the last time he was seen alive was the previous evening, when a neighbor came to visit.” The neighbor told police “that it appeared as if he never left the table, and that he was still wearing the same clothes as last night.”
No signs of foul play were reported or observed.
“Detectives responded to a drowning that occurred in the Kalalau Beach area.”
A 41-year-old man and a 27-year-old woman from Oahu were swimming with another person they met while camping in Kalalau, “when the male became tired and distressed.” He grabbed onto a rock, but a wave washed him off and he was “found unresponsive shortly thereafter.”
A tour boat picked all three of the swimmers up and brought them to Kikialoa Small Boat Harbor in Kekaha, “where resuscitation efforts were met with negative results.”
“Detectives responded to a report of an unattended death investigation in Kapa‘a.”
“An adult male was found unresponsive and not breathing.” His body was already in the early stages of decomposition.
Officers on the scene contacted the man’s next-of-kin, “who related that she was not willing to sign the death certificate.” No foul play or criminal activity was observed or reported to police. The body was transported to the morgue at Wilcox Medical Center.
“Anahola Cleanup 19”
KPD detectives and officials with two state agencies on Aug. 19 found over 100 vehicles on state Department of Hawaiian Homelands property, along with “numerous campsites and two multi-level illegal structures.” The vehicles will be hauled away once DHHL secures a contract for the work. The campsites and structures “were documented for future removal.”
“Marijuana Eradication Mission”
The KPD Vice Section assisted the Honolulu Police Department with a “two day marijuana eradication mission” on Oahu. The HPD returned the favor, helping Kauai police with a similar operation that resulted in the seizure of 50 marijuana plants from the Koke‘e area.
“Missing Person”
“The adult female suffering from schizophrenia was last seen in the early afternoon at her residence in Kalaheo,” but wasn’t reported missing to police until that evening. “Due to darkness, a search for the female was pending first light, however the female returned home shortly after sunrise.”
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Caleb Loehrer, staff writer, can be reached at 245-0441 or cloehrer@thegardenisland.com.
