Police arrested a Kona man wanted for questioning in a firearms and drug investigation Wednesday in Kailua-Kona. ADVERTISING Police arrested a Kona man wanted for questioning in a firearms and drug investigation Wednesday in Kailua-Kona. Officers saw 38-year-old Michael Ventrella
Police arrested a Kona man wanted for questioning in a firearms and drug investigation Wednesday in Kailua-Kona.
Officers saw 38-year-old Michael Ventrella at a gas station on Kuakini Highway. According to police, they recognized him as a man wanted for questioning and identified a 2012 Jeep next to him as his vehicle. They also identified a woman with him, 36-year-old Waiola Corcoran of Kealakekua.
Officers allegedly saw a firearm inside the Jeep and arrested Ventrella and Corcoran. While searching Ventrella, police found 0.5 grams of a white powdery substance suspected to be cocaine and $127 in cash.
After obtaining a search warrant on the Jeep, detectives recovered a loaded, unregistered 9-mm handgun with eight unspent rounds of ammunition, one gram of a crystalline substance suspected to be methamphetamine, 1.1 grams of a dried green plant material suspected to be marijuana, three unprescribed pharmaceutical pills and paraphernalia associated with meth use and intravenous narcotics ingestion.
On Thursday, detectives charged Ventrella with four firearms offenses, marijuana possession, and two counts each of promoting a dangerous drug and drug paraphernalia. His bail was set at $93,000. Corcoran was charged with promoting a harmful drug. Her bail was set at $500. Both were released from custody Thursday night after posting bail.
The Jeep and cash were seized for forfeiture proceedings. The unrelated case for which Ventrella was wanted, is still under investigation.
