Officers honored for bust of parolee with drugs and a firearm

Hilo Patrol Officers Christopher Fukumoto, left, and Gibson Kahele, were honored as the Aloha Exchange Club’s ‘Officers of the Month’ for January, for their role in the apprehension of a paroled felon on drug- and firearms-related charges.
Subscribe Now Choose a package that suits your preferences.
Start Free Account Get access to 7 premium stories every month for FREE!
Already a Subscriber? Current print subscriber? Activate your complimentary Digital account.

The Aloha Exchange Club honored two police officers as “Officers of the Month” for January

Hilo Patrol Officers Christopher Fukumoto Gibson Kahele were honored for turning a traffic stop into an arrest for gun- and drug-offenses. In the late evening of Jan. 22, Fukumoto, a four-year-veteran saw a sedan stopped in the left-turn lane toward Hilo International Airport on Kanoelehua Avenue, with the driver sleeping and the engine running.

According to police, Fukumoto determined the driver, 43-year-old Cory George Young, was driving after his license was revoked and arrested him.

Kahele, a six-year veteran who responded as backup, reportedly saw what appeared to be the handle of a handgun protruding from beneath the front driver’s seat. A search warrant was served on the car by detectives, and turned up a loaded .22 caliber handgun, more than 2.17 pounds of methamphetamine, 21.4 grams of marijuana and drug paraphernalia, police said.

Young, a convicted felon, was charged with violating parole. He’s also been indicted for first-degree promotion of a dangerous drug, attempted first-degree promotion of a dangerous drug, marijuana possession, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of a firearm in the commission of a felony drug offense, carrying a loaded firearm on a public roadway, being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, illegally carrying ammunition, and driving without a license.