East Hawaii officer honored

The Aloha Exchange Club of East Hawaii recently saluted Officer Jared Cabatu as the East Hawaii Officer of the Month for May.

Cabatu was honored for his efforts that led to the recovery of a stolen federal vehicle.

On April 26, three pickup trucks were stolen from the University of Hawaii at Hilo Institute of Astronomy. In the days that followed, Cabatu worked to solve the case and learned a vehicle matching the description of the ones stolen had been seen in the upper Hilo area. Following that lead, he located the vehicle in the Waiakea Uka area and determined its license plate had been stolen from another vehicle. When he attempted to contact the occupants, they fled.

Cabatu immediately communicated information about the vehicle and the suspects to South Hilo Patrol officers, leading to the recovery of the vehicle and the arrest of two men and a woman. As a result, detectives assigned to the case were able to develop additional leads and information.