A Kailua-Kona couple charged with drug offenses in connection with two suspected fentanyl overdoses — one fatal, at Hawaii Community Correctional Center — has a date today in Hilo District Court.
Izaiah Matthew Shields, 41, is charged with one count each of first-degree promotion of prison contraband, first-degree promotion of a dangerous drug and third-degree promotion of a dangerous drug.
His 37-year-old girlfriend, Moriah Goulette, is charged with one count of first-degree promotion of prison contraband and two counts of third-degree promotion of a dangerous drug.
Both had been in police custody and later the custody of courtroom sheriffs after being arrested on Dec. 29 at Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport and charged with smuggling more than two ounces of fentanyl into the state from San Francisco.
Then on Thursday, police responded to HCCC. Staff at the jail reported two unresponsive inmates within a cell. One of those inmates, 56-year-old Steven Mario Delgado of Pahoa, died. The other inmate, a 33-year-old Hilo man, was treated at Hilo Medical Center for drug intoxication and later released.
According to Capt. Rio Amon-Wilkins, commander of the East Hawaii Criminal Investigation Division, 57 grams of fentanyl — more than two ounces — was found wrapped in latex in a cell shared by Shields and two other inmates. Shields was arrested, and an additional 2.24 grams of fentanyl was found on his body during a search at the Hilo Police Cellblock.
Another gram was found on Goulette’s body, some of it in a packet in her mouth, police said.
Asked to how suspects who’ve undergone several searches can still have drugs in their possession when they’re processed into jail, Amon-Wilkins referred to the latex packaging.
“As the media release insinuates, there are various ways that individuals can smuggle or transport contraband, and that appears to be the case with these individuals,” he said. “I’m not exactly certain what HCCC’s protocol is when someone is initially brought into the facility, as far as the search procedure. I mean, these individuals were searched when they were taken into our custody, according to our policy.
“Obviously, there are certain limitations to some areas that can be searched without a warrant … as in a cavity search — which would typically require a search warrant and the search to be done by a medical professional.”
While the pair is charged with additional drug offenses, Shields hasn’t yet been booked on suspicion of any offenses directly linked to the death of Delgado, such as manslaughter.
Amon-Wilkins said Delgado’s death is still “classified as a coroner’s inquest, but the investigation is still open.”
“There wasn’t any type of trauma to Mr. Delgado but we’re still awaiting toxicology results,” he said.
“Before we can forward the (death) case to the prosecutor’s office, will have to address that.”
Shields’ bail is set at $85,000 and Goulette’s at $45,000. Both remain in custody at HCCC.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.