A South Kohala patrol officer was recently honored for her work during a sexual assault investigation by the Hawaii Island Security and Safety Professionals Association.
Kayli Carr was recognized June 10 by the nonprofit association as officer of the first quarter of 2022 for her “outstanding” work during a sex assault investigation.
“I was so surprised,” said Carr, who joined the Hawaii Police Department as a member of the 87th recruit class in 2018. “I didn’t know I’d get an award for this, but it’s awesome.”
The honor stems from an incident that started about 4:20 a.m. Jan. 22 when Carr was assigned to a 911 call in which a woman reported being “choked out” while in the bed of a pickup truck.
According to police and Carr, the woman was crying and could not provide further information, however, police dispatchers were able to obtain GPS coordinates from the phone call and tracked the victim’s phone to Waikoloa Road.
Already in the area at the time of the report, Carr spotted a white, Ford F250 pickup truck turn right from Waikoloa Road onto Queen Kaahumanu Highway. She noted the person was driving recklessly.
“I made a U-turn,” said Carr. “That guy was going at least 80 mph and I was trying to catch up to him.”
The officer was subsequently flagged down by another motorist who had also turned right off Waikoloa Road and onto Queen Kaahumanu Highway. The driver relayed to police that the white truck had been traveling at a high rate of speed on Waikoloa Road and would slam its brakes for no apparent reason.
After obtaining the driver’s name and contact information, Carr continued on Queen Kaahumanu Highway looking for the white truck but was unable to locate it.
She then returned to Waikoloa Road, where she saw a woman who seemed “injured and emotionally distressed” standing on the shoulder of the roadway, in the area of mile marker 1.
The officer immediately requested medical assistance from the Hawaii Fire Department, and then began to speak to the victim in a calm and compassionate way.
Carr said the victim initially didn’t want to get the police involved for fear of being ridiculed or “not believed.”
“She was distraught on the road,” Carr recalled Thursday. “She had road rash on her body, she was out of it and she didn’t want to call the police because she had no faith in police. But through talking to her, she gave a report.”
After gaining the trust of the victim, Carr learned that the suspect had befriended the victim a few weeks prior and that the victim had been staying with the suspect for the previous week. The victim also stated she had been sexually assaulted by the suspect two days prior.
Within five hours, a suspect, a Waikoloa resident, was identified and taken into police custody on suspicion of abuse of a household or family member, kidnapping, and second-degree sexual assault.
“I like helping out,” Carr noted. “That guy went to jail and that wouldn’t have happened unless she opened up,” she said.
The man was later released pending further investigation. The case has been routed to prosecutors for review charges of abuse of household or family member, first-degree unlawful imprisonment, three counts of second-degree sexual assault, third-degree assault and second-degree terroristic threatening in the second degree.
Sergeant Erich Jackson, Carr’s supervisor who nominated her for the award, said that without Carr’s ability to gain the trust and confidence of the victim and glean the information she did, t he case would not have been solved.
“Officer Carr’s diligence, tenacity, perseverance, and listening skills conducted an outstanding investigation resulting in the successful apprehension of the suspect,” he said.
The association also noted Carr’s “diligence, tenacity, perseverance and fine tuned listening skills” in announcing the award.
“Officer Carr conducted an outstanding investigation, resulting in the successful apprehension of the suspect. Her compassion and great team work has been appreciated by all,” the association said.
The June 10 award was not Carr’s first time being recognized for her work. Carr was among six officers recognized in July 2020 for their quick actions and lifesaving skills at the scene of a Nov. 10, 2019, head-on collision south of Kua Bay on Queen Kaahumanu Highway that left one woman dead and injured three girls.
Carr was also honored as Miss Aloha Hula during the 2016 Merrie Monarch Festival.
Carr always knew that she wanted a career in service.
“I like meeting new people and making those connections. The job seems like a right fit for me,” she said. “I like that I can help people on their worst days, even if it’s just a little bit.”