Kaʻū News Briefs, Tuesday, August 1, 2023

FOUR DOGS APPARENTLY KILLED AN OCEAN VIEW MAN on Tuesday. Hawai'i Police Department is reaching out to the public for witnesses.

     The Office of Mayor Mitch Roth issued the following statement: "The Office of the Mayor wishes to offer its sincere condolences to ‘ohana and friends of a Ka‘ū man who is dead following a dog attack Tuesday morning.   About 9 a.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 1, two dogs attacked a man on an Ocean View street. The man, who has yet to be identified, died following the attack. The owners of the dogs have been read their rights and have voluntarily surrendered 14 dogs." 

    The Mayor said, “We offer our heartfelt thoughts to the victim’s family. Regardless of the circumstances, this is a tragedy for our island community.”
      HPD reported that at approximately 8:59 a.m., Ka‘ū patrol officers responded to an animal complaint in the 92-2000 block of Outrigger Drive in the Hawaiian Ocean View Estates subdivision. Officers observed a male victim lying unconscious in the roadway when they arrived. Police located a witness who reported hearing a commotion outside his residence. When the witness went to check, he saw the victim being attacked in the roadway by four large dogs. The witness chased the dogs and called the police and paramedics to the scene.    The victim, believed to be a male in his 70s, was treated by emergency medical personnel at the scene and while being transported to the Kona Community Hospital, he succumbed to his injuries. He was transported to the Ka‘ū Hospital for the official pronouncement of death.
Hawai’i Police Chief Ben Moszkowicz said, “There is currently no evidence that the victim provoked this horrific attack. This incident is a senseless tragedy that could have been avoided.”
    The dogs’ owners were not home at the time of the attack; however, they have been identified and contacted by police. Investigators are looking into claims that the dogs had previously been reported as stray animals. In the meantime, the owners have surrendered all four dogs and a litter of 10 puppies to the Hawai’i County Animal Control and Protection Agency.
    Police are investigating this incident as a Negligent Failure to Control a Dangerous Dog case. Hawai’i County Code section 4-4-32 was most recently revised in 2022 and makes it a felony crime if someone fails to take reasonable measures to prevent an unprovoked dog attack resulting in serious bodily injury or death. Investigators have classified the case as a Class B Felony. If convicted under this section, the dog owners could face up to a $25,000 fine, ten years in prison, restitution, and/or the humane destruction of the dogs involved.
    The victim’s identity is being withheld until positive identification is made and the next of kin is contacted. An autopsy will be conducted to determine the exact cause of death.
    The Hawai’i Police Department is asking that anyone with information regarding this incident please contact Area II Criminal Investigation Section Detective Donovan Kohara at (808) 960-3118 or via e-mail at Donovan.Kohara@hawaiicounty.gov.
Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous may call the island-wide Crime Stoppers number at 961-8300 and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.00. Crime Stoppers is a volunteer program run by ordinary citizens who want to keep their community safe. Crime Stoppers does not record calls or subscribe to any Caller ID service. All Crime Stoppers information is kept confidential.

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HPD ARRESTED 18 FOR DUI during the week of July 24 through July 30. Hawai`i Island made the arrests of18 motorists for driving under the influence of an intoxicant. Ten of the drivers were involved in a traffic collision. One was under the age of 21.    So far this year, there have been 566 DUI arrests compared with 594 during the same period last year, a decrease of 4.7 percent.
    Hawai’i Police Department’s Traffic Services Section reviewed all updated crashes and found 493 major collisions so far this year compared with 464 during the same period last year, an increase of 6.3 percent.
    To date, there have been nine fatal crashes, resulting in 10 fatalities, (one of which had multiple deaths); compared with 22 fatal crashes, resulting in 24 fatalities (one of which had multiple deaths) for the same time last year. This represents a decrease of 59.1 percent for fatal crashes, and 58.3 percent for fatalities.
 HPD promises that DUI roadblocks and patrols will continue island wide.