A judge on Monday freed a Kailua-Kona police say intentionally rammed parked vehicles with a pickup truck on Friday on supervised release, a form of cashless bail.
Deputy Prosecutor Brit Barker didn’t oppose the motion by Deputy Public Defender Evans Smith to release 35-year-old Kevin Bell.
Kona District Judge Kimberly Tsuchiya ordered Bell to appear for a preliminary hearing on March 21.
According to police, Bell caused an eight-vehicle collision in Captain Cook by intentionally driving recklessly.
Police say dispatchers received numerous reports at 10:38 a.m. Friday of a driver in a red pickup truck driving recklessly southbound on Mamalahoa Highway near the Napoopoo Road intersection.
Just a few minutes later at 10:42 a.m., Kona patrol officers responded to a multi-vehicle collision on Mamalahoa Highway near the 108-mile marker.
According to police, Bell was behind the wheel of a 2008 red Dodge full-size pickup truck when he struck a 2016 Nissan compact sedan also traveling south on Mamalahoa. The Nissan sedan was then forced into three parked vehicles on the makai side of the highway. Two of the three parked vehicles were occupied.
After hitting the Nissan sedan, the Dodge truck then overturned on its roof and slid, striking three more parked vehicles, all unoccupied, also on the makai side of Mamalahoa, causing more $70,000 in damage.
The truck subsequently slid off a 15-foot embankment, where it came to a final resting point.
Five victims were taken to Kona Community Hospital in stable condition.
Bell was arrested and taken to Kealakehe Police Station where, police say, he attempted to escape but was thwarted by officers.
Police say Bell’s actions were intentional and placed numerous people in danger.
He’s charged with two counts each of first-degree property damage and second-degree reckless endangering, first-degree negligent injury, reckless driving, driving without insurance and attempted second-degree escape.
He appeared in court Monday in police custody with his original bail, which was eliminated, set at $34,125 dollars.
Anyone with information about this case is asked to call the police department’s nonemergency number (808) 935-3311 or Crime Stoppers at (808) 961-8300.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.