Hearing set for Hilo woman accused of ramming cop’s car

KAMA
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A 38-year-old Hilo woman police say rammed the car of one officer and almost hit two other officers in the process told officers she had been sleeping in the driver’s seat in the middle of the road when they arrived, according to court documents.

Jaclyn Kanani Ann Kama faces two counts of first-degree attempted assault against a law enforcement officer, first-degree criminal property damage, second-degree promotion of a detrimental drug, second-degree promotion of a dangerous drug, third-degree promotion of a dangerous drug, and being a felon in possession of ammunition.

Court documents state that officers responding to a report of suspicious people towing an abandoned vehicle at about 4 a.m. Sunday found a silver sedan parked in the middle of Enos Road in Mountain View with the motor running and Kama in the driver’s seat.

After determining there was a warrant for Kama’s arrest and ordering her to get out of the car, Kama put the car into gear and almost hit Officers Michael Sailer and Spencer Thomas, documents state. She then reportedly collided head-on into Officer Johnathan Rapoza’s unoccupied subsidized vehicle, a grey Chrysler 300, according to documents.

The collision caused Rapoza’s car to sustain “major disabling damage to the front driver-side bumper, wheel and suspension,” documents state.

According to police, Kama then reversed the sedan off the edge of the roadway, where the car became stuck. She allegedly continued to accelerate in an attempt to escape, but officers took her into custody without further incident.

No one was injured.

A search of the car found 17.6 grams of methamphetamine, 16 grams of marijuana, a glass smoking pipe with residue and one round of .30-06 ammunition, according to documents.

Documents state Kama has 14 felony convictions dating back to 2002.

Hilo District Judge Harry Freitas on Tuesday rejected a request by Deputy Public Defender Megan Fellows to reduce Kama’s $107,000 bail and ordered her to return to court Thursday for a preliminary hearing.

Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.