Police charge Puna patrol officer with burglary, assault

A 31-year-old Puna patrol officer was charged today with first-degree burglary and third-degree assault.

Bail was set at $6,000 for Mark Kealoha Kaili Jr. of Keaau. He has a court date set for Monday, but that will be postponed if Kaili posts bail, which seems likely.

The charges stem from an early morning incident on Tuesday in Ka‘u. According to police, Kaili and an acquaintance, 27-year-old Cody Kuaili’aimoku Kanahele entered a Naalehu home, both reportedly wearing masks, and allegedly assaulted a 20-year-old male resident, whom police said is Kanahele’s cousin.

During the altercation, the victim’s grandfather intervened, and in the process unmasked one of the suspects, later identified as Kaili, who was off-duty during the alleged incident, as well as at the time of his arrest on Friday at Kaili’s Hawaiian Paradise Park home.

Kanahele was charged Tuesday with first-degree burglary and third-degree assault. He was released from custody after posting $5,500 bail and has a Sept. 14 court date.

In addition to the criminal investigation, the Office of Professional Standards, the department’s Internal Affairs unit, is conducting an internal administrative investigation..

Officer Kaili has been placed on administrative leave without pay pending the outcome of the separate investigations.

“I am grateful to the investigators for their hard work in solving and charging this case,” Chief Benjamin Moszkowicz said. “It is important to remember that while the allegations against Officer Kaili are serious, they do not represent the hard work and dedication of the Hawaii Police Department.”

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