A county truck stolen Saturday ended up torched Monday in a remote section of Fern Forest subdivision in Puna. ADVERTISING A county truck stolen Saturday ended up torched Monday in a remote section of Fern Forest subdivision in Puna. Police
A county truck stolen Saturday ended up torched Monday in a remote section of Fern Forest subdivision in Puna.
Police arrested 19-year-old Eric Wilson of Keaau at about 4:40 p.m. Monday on suspicion of unauthorized control of a stolen vehicle after officers encountered him and another individual on Enos Road in Mountain View.
The pair were in a Toyota 4Runner SUV that was stolen April 18 in Hilo, police said. Wilson and the suspected accomplice ran into some bushes, but a police tracking dog flushed Wilson out and officers apprehended him about 9 1/2 miles from where the 2016 Ford F-350 utility box truck with a lift gate was set aflame and abandoned.
The other suspect eluded capture, Lt. Miles Chong of the Hilo Criminal Investigations Section said Tuesday.
“We don’t know the age or gender or identity of that person yet,” Chong said.
Police had been looking for the county truck, which was taken during the early morning hours Saturday from the county Mass Transit Agency baseyard on East Lanikaula Street in Hilo.
“What happened was, they cut the bolt to the main gate to the baseyard,” Mass Transit Agency Administrator Tiffany Kai said. “And then they broke into our storage and was able to take a few (pieces of) equipment with them, and then they (took) the truck, as well.”
Kai said the thief or thieves obtained keys to the truck, which was a total loss.
Kai said the original purchase price of the year-old truck, with taxes and fees, was $73,000. She said the truck was part of the county’s self-insurance program, which means its loss will be absorbed by property taxpayers.
The alleged truck thief or thieves were seen driving recklessly through Hilo during Merrie Monarch weekend in the pilfered county pickup, and were involved in at least two hit-and-run collisions and a pair of police pursuits.
“The pursuits were separate from the accidents,” Chong said, and added no one was injured in the crashes.
Then on Monday, an occupant of the truck was reported to have fired a gunshot out of the vehicle in close proximity to bystanders in Hawaiian Paradise Park subdivision. At 1:30 p.m., officers responded to a report of a vehicle matching the description of the stolen county truck traveling in the Pahoa direction on 29th Avenue.
No injuries or damages were reported. A reckless endangering investigation was initiated as a result of this particular incident.
Police closed the intersection of Paradise Drive and 29th Avenue for about two hours while officers investigated at the scene.
Original reports of the truck arson, which according to a police log was reported at about 4:18 p.m. on Mailenani Road in Fern Forest, also included reports of gunshots fired.
“We did find some shell casings on the ground,” Chong said. He said the casings were from a handgun, and it appeared a handgun was involved in the HPP gunshot incident.
No firearm was recovered, and no police pursuits were involved in either Monday incident, Chong said.
Police continue to investigate the incidents. Anyone with information is asked to call the police nonemergency number at 935-3311 or contact Detective Wendall Carter at 961-2383 or Wendall.Carter@hawaiicounty.gov.
Those who prefer anonymity can call Crime Stoppers at 961-8300 and could be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
