A routine traffic stop in Kona led to the arrests of three persons in two separate cars on Saturday. A routine traffic stop in Kona led to the arrests of three persons in two separate cars on Saturday. ADVERTISING A
A routine traffic stop in Kona led to the arrests of three persons in two separate cars on Saturday.
A Kona patrol officer stopped a car occupied by two women at 9:40 p.m.. and observed drug paraphernalia in the car. Police later recovered a glass smoking pipe and two small plastic bags containing residue of a white powdery substance.
Police arrested the driver, 47-year-old Grace Duguran of Kailua-Kona, and her passenger, 37-year-old Danette Corrales of Pahala, on suspicion of promoting a dangerous drug and possessing drug paraphernalia.
While officers were waiting with the women for a blue-and-white police vehicle to arrive, a man in a Kia sedan passed them twice and yelled at one of the women. An officer recognized the Kia’s driver as 37-year-old Chito Reno Asuncion of Pāhala, who was wanted on three bench warrants. As an officer attempted to make a traffic stop on the Kia, it sped toward two other officers who were standing on the road signaling for him to stop. The officers had to jump out of the way to avoid being hit but were not injured.
Other officers stopped the Kia and arrested Asuncion on the warrants for two counts of contempt of court and one count of failure to appear. His bail on those charges was set at $20,300. Asuncion was also arrested on suspicion of reckless endangering and taken to the Kona police cellblock while detectives from the Criminal Investigations Section continued the investigation.
On Sunday, police obtained a search warrant for the Kia and recovered a glass smoking pipe and a small plastic bag with residue of a white powdery substance, as well as brass knuckles. Also Sunday, the two women from the initial traffic stop were released pending further investigation.
On Monday, Asuncion went to court on the bench warrants and then was returned to the Kona cellblock. At 6 p.m. Monday, detectives charged him with two counts of first-degree terroristic threatening, two counts of second-degree reckless endangering, carrying a deadly weapon, resisting an order to stop, driving with an expired license, promoting a dangerous drug and possessing drug paraphernalia.
