Hawai‘i Island police arrested 28-year-old Weston Duarte for a domestic violence incident that led to a pursuit and single-vehicle crash.
On July 10, Kona patrol officers responded to a Captain Cook residence after Central Dispatch received 911 text messages from a 35-year-old woman reporting that she needed help. The woman stated that her boyfriend, later identified as Duarte, was high, refusing to return her vehicle and car keys, threatening to kill her, and also had an outstanding warrant.
The woman also reported that she and Duarte were inside her Mazda 3 sedan parked in the driveway. She went on to state Duarte was armed, using methamphetamine, and had physically assaulted her.
As officers arrived at the scene, they observed the Mazda sedan speeding down the driveway, continuing southbound on Napo‘opo‘o Road. Officers also observed a male driver matching Duarte’s description and the woman crying in the back seat.
Officers pursued the vehicle but lost sight of it. Later they saw it traveling north on Highway 11 at high speed. Officers located the vehicle after it had crashed near the 109-mile marker on Highway 11.
Duarte was found in the roadway and placed under arrest. He was transported to Kona Community Hospital and later transferred to Queen’s Medical Center on O‘ahu for further treatment. The woman was found in the back seat and transported to Kona Community Hospital, where remains in stable condition.
Through further investigation, police determined Duarte was the driver during the earlier pursuit.
Duarte was arrested for the following offenses:
- Operating a vehicle under the influence of an intoxicant
- Driving without a valid driver’s license
- Abuse of a family or household member
- Second-degree reckless endangering
- Resisting an order to stop
- Reckless driving
- Second-degree terroristic threatening
- No motor vehicle insurance policy
Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to contact Detective Jeremiah Hull at (808) 430-8634 or via email at jeremiah.hull@hawaiicounty.gov.
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