The Kona Crime Prevention Committee honored three Hawai‘i County Police officers as Officer of the Month for November 2021, December 2021, and January 2022.
Officer Charles Caldwell-Kaai was honored as Officer of the Month for November 2021, for his proactive efforts that resulted in the arrest of a person responsible for multiple car break-ins. On July 12, 2021, Caldwell-Kaai was conducting beat checks in the Keauhou boat ramp area when he encountered a man in a Toyota pickup truck who was acting suspiciously. The man told Officer him he was waiting for a relative who was fishing, however, it turned out that the pickup truck was reported stolen. The man also provided the officer with a fake name. Upon discovering the man’s real name, Officer Caldwell-Kaai learned he had three outstanding warrants for arrest. While arresting the individual for the stolen vehicle and the outstanding warrants, he noticed several items within the truck that had been reported stolen days earlier. Further investigation determined that the man was wanted for seven additional crimes, including auto theft, vehicle break-ins, and theft. He was charged for 11 offenses with bail totaling $14,000.
Officer Elijah Won was honored as Officer of the Month for December 2021, for his dedicated efforts to traffic enforcement. While conducting beat checks in July 2021, Officer Won conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle driver that committed a minor traffic violation. The driver was arrested for a previous unrelated incident and Officer Won noticed that the driver was acting peculiar. Sensing something was off, Officer Won conducted a thorough external visual search of the car and saw a glass smoking pipe used for ingesting crystal methamphetamine. The driver’s car was recovered and in the course of investigation, a ghost gun —a firearm with no serial number that’s virtually impossible to track— was recovered.
Kona Patrol Officer Reuben Pukahi was honored as Officer of the Month for January 2022 for his actions in helping rescue two female swimmers in distress. On August 10, 2021, Officer Pukahi, along with Kona Community Policing Sergeant Michael Hardie, were at Honl’s Beach Park on Ali‘i Drive addressing community complaints of undesirable activities in the area. At the time surf conditions made it very dangerous for amateur and inexperienced beach goers. While speaking with a young boy about the surf conditions, the officers observed two older women attempting to enter the water on the opposite side of the beach. Before officers could intervene, the two women entered the water and were quickly separated and swept away by the strong currents. Seeing the women in distress, some area surfers started paddling over to assist them. Recognizing the situation was getting worse, Officer Pukahi changed out of his police uniform into surf attire and commandeered a bystander’s surfboard. Paddling through the surf to one of the women, Officer Pukahi pulled her onto his surfboard just as she was about to be swept onto the rocks and brought her back to shore safely.
Every month the Kona Crime Prevention Committee honors a police officer in West Hawaiʻi as their Officer of the Month. Officers are nominated by their supervisors and a winner is selected by the KCPC board of directors.
Photos courtesy of Hawaiʻi County Police Department
