Roundabout Meeting Cancelled

12/14/12 CANCELLED!

Department of Transportation (DOT) would like to update the community that the Public Informational Meeting regarding intersection improvements at Keaau-Pahoa Road and Old Government Road in Pahoa, Hawaii, previously scheduled on Wednesday, December 19, will be postponed and rescheduled in January 2013. A date and location will be announced in a future DOT news release.

The intent of the project is to improve safety and traffic flow by converting the existing T- intersection into a single-lane modern roundabout. The project also includes slope reinforcement, landscaping improvements, electrical conduits and street lights, drainage improvements along with ADA compliant curb ramps and sidewalks, fencing, guardrails, signage and striping. Construction work time is estimated at approximately 12 months.

The state DOT apologizes for the inconvenience and will notify the community of further information.

The state Department of Transportation would like to invite the community to a Public Informational Meeting regarding intersection improvements at Keaau-Pahoa Road and Old Government Road in Pahoa, Hawaii.

The meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m., on Wednesday, December 19, *CANCELLED* at the Keaau Elementary School Cafeteria, located at 16-680 Keaau-Pahoa Road.

The intent of the project is to improve safety and traffic flow by converting the existing T-intersection into a single-lane modern roundabout.The project also includes slope reinforcement, landscaping improvements, electrical conduits and street lights, drainage improvements along with ADA compliant curb ramps and sidewalks, fencing, guardrails, signage and striping.

Construction work time is estimated at approximately 12 months. To request language interpretation, an auxiliary aid or service (i.e., sign language interpreter, accessible parking, or materials in alternative format), please contact Steven Yoshida, Highways Division, by phone at (808) 692-7682 or by email at steven.yoshida@hawaii.gov, three (3) days prior to the meeting date. TTY users may use TRS to contact our DOT office.

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Police Charge Second Escapee With Several Offenses Stemming from Prison Escape

Police have charged the second suspect with several offenses stemming from his escape from Hawaiʻi Community Correctional Center in Hilo.

Ryan Jeffries-Hamar

After conferring with prosecutors, detectives charged 31-year-old Ryan James Jeffries-Hamar with first-degree escape, second-degree assault, second-degree robbery, kidnapping, second-degree unlawful imprisonment, unauthorized control of a propelled vehicle, and third-degree criminal property damage. He is being held without bail at the Hilo police cellblock pending his initial appearance Monday afternoon.

Jeffries-Hamar is the second and last suspect charged after he and 35-year-old Jarvis Naoki Higa escaped from the Hilo jail on December 5. Higa was captured two days later and is being held at Halawa Correctional Facility on Oahu.

Thirty- year-old Tyler John Tzovarras, also known as Tyler O’Neil, of Pāhoa was charged with first-degree hindering prosecution for his role in allegedly harboring and assisting Jeffries-Hamar while he was on the lam. He was also charged with contempt of court in connection with an outstanding warrant. His bail was set at $10,800.

Detectives are considering additional charges against other individuals who assisted both Higa and Jeffries-Hamar.

40-Year-Old Big Island Woman Charged in Helping Escapee and Hindering Prosecution

A 40-year-old Captain Cook woman has been charged with hindering prosecution in connection with an inmate from Hawaiʻi Community Correctional Center who was being sought for escape.

Elizabeth Maile Medeiros also known as Maile Medeiros

While police were searching for Ryan Jeffries-Hamar, they developed information that Elizabeth Maile Medeiros, also known as Maile Medeiros, had provided transportation and clothing for him while he was still at large.

At 1:34 p.m. Thursday, officers arrested Medeiros while she was at Circuit Court in Kealakekua on an unrelated matter. She was taken to the Kona police cellblock while police continued the investigation.

Friday afternoon, Medeiros was charged with first-degree hindering prosecution, a Class C felony. She remains at the cellblock in lieu of $2,000 bail pending her initial court appearance scheduled for Monday.

Big Island Police Arrest 48-Year-Old Man After Firearm Discharged in Hilo Industrial Area

A 48-year-old Hawaiian Ocean View Estates man was arrested and charged with several offenses following an incident in which a firearm was discharged on Makaʻala Street in Hilo.

About 12:46 a.m. Thursday (December 13), police responded to a call that a firearm had been discharged in the Hilo Industrial Area. Officers contacted witnesses and located a vehicle parked on Makaʻala Street.

Allen Benjamin III

Police linked the vehicle to Allen Benjamin III. He was taken into custody while detectives from the Area I Criminal Investigations Section conducted further investigation.

No one was injured as a result of the firearm being discharged. Detectives recovered ammunition and a firearm.

At 9 p.m. Thursday, after conferring with the prosecutor’s office, detectives charged Benjamin with second-degree reckless endangering, place to keep ammunition, place to keep pistol, first-degree theft, and two counts of ownership/possession prohibited. His bail was set at $15,000.

He was scheduled to make his initial court appearance Friday afternoon (December 14).

Has Another Snake Arrived on the Big Island?

On Friday, January 26, 2007, a snake was found at Hilo Harbor.

“A snake that was found at Hilo Harbor last Friday (1/26) has been identified as a chequered keelback snake, also known as an Asiatic water snake (Xenochrophis piscator).  The non-venomous snake is commonly found in Asia and the East Indies, but not common in the pet trade in the U.S.  It is not known how the snake arrived in Hawaii.

This is the snake that was found in Hilo Harbor back in 2007

On Friday, a construction worker working at Pier 2 in Hilo Harbor saw the two-foot-long snake under the pier and was able to kill it. The incident happened at about 9:30 a.m. and inspectors from the Hawaii Department of Agriculture were called to pick up the snake.  The snake was flown to Oahu late Friday afternoon and identified yesterday by a herpetologist at the Bishop Museum….”

More here: Snake found at Hilo Harbor

Someone just sent me the following message TODAY:

“Hi Damon, have you heard anything about brown tree snake sightings at Hilo bay front?…

(I replied that I hadn’t)

Please bring it to light for the public’s sake! Traps have been setup at the Puna Canoe Club. Numerous reports from different people according to an Ag inspector I spoke with this morning. NOT GOOD! And…no mention to the public about the matter. The Public will be the ones to find them, not the damn traps! Fn irraz! Damn inspectors setting our beautiful island up once again. Too many harmful invasive species! Thanks for letting me vent…”

I’ve checked around online and I haven’t heard of anything being confirmed yet.

Related articles

• A rather thin and long new snake crawls out of one of Earth’s biodiversity hotspots (sciencedaily.com)
• Guam Snakes Being Fought With Poisoned Mice Parachuted In From Helicopters (jtm71.wordpress.com)

Update on the Capture of the Second Prison Escapee – MANHUNT OVER

Hawaiʻi County Police have arrested the second of two inmates who escaped from Hawaiʻi Community Correctional Center on December 5.

Ryan Jeffries-Hamar, 31, was arrested at approximately 10:40 p.m. Thursday (December 13), at a home in the Hawaiian Beaches subdivision of Puna.

Ryan Jeffries-Hamar

Earlier Thursday, police received multiple sightings of Jeffries-Hamar in Kona. Police tracked him from Kona to Puna after investigation revealed that he left Kona on the back of a motorcycle that passed through Kaʻū and was headed for Puna.

Members of a Task Force made up of officers from the Kona and Hilo Districts, a State Sheriff’s deputy and patrol officers from the Puna District, conducted checks at a home located on Kawakawa Street in Hawaiian Beaches. They found Jeffries-Hamar hiding in a bedroom. He was arrested for first-degree escape and taken to the Hilo station for processing.

Police also arrested 30-year-old Tyler Tzovarras of Mountain View at the Hawaiian Beaches house on suspicion of first-degree hindering prosecution, as well as for an outstanding bench warrant. Both men are being held at the Hilo police cellblock pending further investigation.

The other escape suspect, Jarvis Higa, was arrested December 7 in Kaʻū.

Captain Robert Wagner said tips from the public were invaluable in helping police locate both escaped inmates during the 8-day manhunt.

Public Reception and Talk Story for New Hawaii County Councilmembers

The public is invited to a reception and talk story to meet the new Hawaii County Councilmembers on Tuesday December 18th at the West Hawaii Civic Center:

Public Invited to Pahoa Roundabout Meeting to Be Held in Keaau

12/14/12 CANCELLED!

Department of Transportation (DOT) would like to update the community that the Public Informational Meeting regarding intersection improvements at Keaau-Pahoa Road and Old Government Road in Pahoa, Hawaii, previously scheduled on Wednesday, December 19, will be postponed and rescheduled in January 2013. A date and location will be announced in a future DOT news release.

The intent of the project is to improve safety and traffic flow by converting the existing T- intersection into a single-lane modern roundabout. The project also includes slope reinforcement, landscaping improvements, electrical conduits and street lights, drainage improvements along with ADA compliant curb ramps and sidewalks, fencing, guardrails, signage and striping. Construction work time is estimated at approximately 12 months.

The state DOT apologizes for the inconvenience and will notify the community of further information.

The state Department of Transportation would like to invite the community to a Public Informational Meeting regarding intersection improvements at Keaau-Pahoa Road and Old Government Road in Pahoa, Hawaii.

The meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m., on Wednesday, December 19, at the Keaau Elementary School Cafeteria, located at 16-680 Keaau-Pahoa Road.

The intent of the project is to improve safety and traffic flow by converting the existing T-intersection into a single-lane modern roundabout.The project also includes slope reinforcement, landscaping improvements, electrical conduits and street lights, drainage improvements along with ADA compliant curb ramps and sidewalks, fencing, guardrails, signage and striping.

Construction work time is estimated at approximately 12 months. To request language interpretation, an auxiliary aid or service (i.e., sign language interpreter, accessible parking, or materials in alternative format), please contact Steven Yoshida, Highways Division, by phone at (808) 692-7682 or by email at steven.yoshida@hawaii.gov, three (3) days prior to the meeting date. TTY users may use TRS to contact our DOT office.

Related articles

• Fatality On Highway 130 About an Hour Ago (damontucker.com)
• Highway 130 (damontucker.com)

Big Island Police Will Be Conducting DUI Checkpoints Throughout Holiday Season

Hawaiʻi Island police are informing motorist that officers will conduct islandwide DUI checkpoints throughout the holiday season. The effort is part of a national and statewide campaign called “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.” The campaign starts December 14 and runs through January 1.

Sergeant Robert P. Pauole, head of the Traffic Services Section, said police will also be conducting projects to curb underage drinking in parks and other public areas. This is in light of a new federal grant, recently signed by Mayor Billy Kenoi, for $22,956 for overtime use for police to enforce underage drinking to prevent the violator from getting behind the wheel of a vehicle and jeopardizing the lives of others.

Alcohol was involved in at least 16 of the 37 traffic deaths so far this year, amounting to 43 percent of the total. Similarly, 11 of the 23 fatalities recorded for all of last year, or 48 percent, involved alcohol use.

“Consider the options before you drink and drive. Always remember to have a designated, sober and licensed driver before you start drinking,” said Pauole. “If you don’t find one; don’t take a chance—take a taxi!”

The Hawaiʻi Police Department wishes everyone a happy and safe holiday season.

 

Second Prison Escapee Caught and Arrested in Puna

On December 13, 2012, at approximately 10:40 pm, escapee Ryan Jeffries-Hamar, was arrested at a residence in Hawaiian Beaches, Pahoa, Hawaii.

Ryan Jeffries-Hamar

Members of a Task Force made up of Officers from the Kona and Hilo Districts, a State Sheriff, and Puna Police, conducted checks at a residence located on Kawakawa Street, Hawaiian Beaches, and located Jeffries-Hamar. He was arrested for Escape 1st Degree, and transported to the Hilo Police Station for processing.

A male party at the residence who is suspected of assisting Ryan Jeffries-Hamar was also arrested at the residence. Tyler Tzovarras, Male 30, of a Mt. View address, was arrested for Hindering Prosecution in the 1st Degree, as well as an outstanding Bench Warrant. Tzovarras is also being held pending further investigation.

Related articles

• Two Escapees Still on Run Following Violent Escape From Hawaii Community Correctional Center (damontucker.com)
• Manhunt Still On for Dangerous Escapees on Big Island – More Details Released on Escape (damontucker.com)