Police are investigating what they describe as a “rash of auto thefts” on the Big Island since the beginning of the year and a small, possibly organized group may be responsible.
According to a police spokeswoman, there have been 23 incidents of unauthorized control of a stolen vehicle in 2017 — 16 in West Hawaii and seven in East Hawaii.
The largest number of reports, by far, are 11 in Kailua-Kona. Four incidents of unauthorized control were reported in Hilo, two in Ocean View, and one each in Keaau, Kurtistown, Mountain View, Waimea, Naalehu and Captain Cook.
“It’s a large number and it’s something that we’re concerned about,” Lt. Gerald Wike of the Kona Criminal Investigations Section said Thursday. “When this type of situation occurs, we look at perhaps if it’s a group of people working together.
“Right now, all I can tell you is we’re working on investigating the reported theft of the vehicles.”
About twice as many auto theft reports have been filed islandwide since September.
“One significant factor in preventing your vehicle from being stolen is simply to remove the keys from the ignition and not leave a spare anywhere in the vehicle,” said Lt. Greg Esteban of the Hilo Criminal Investigations Section.
An 18-year-old Mountain View man with a juvenile criminal record was nabbed Thursday. Kahekili Krause is being held at the police cellblock on suspicion of unauthorized control of a stolen vehicle.
Krause was seen Wednesday in a stolen Nissan 370Z that crashed and overturned in a yard in Ainaloa subdivision in Puna, police said. He then fled the scene. He also allegedly drove at an officer a week ago in Hawaiian Beaches. Police described him as “dangerous and may be armed” in a wanted bulletin last week.
Krause escaped from juvenile correctional authorities and spent about a week on the lam in 2015.
Police this week charged a 26-year-old Hilo man, Kahee Ioane Manuwai, with two counts of first-degree theft, two counts of unauthorized control of a stolen vehicle, fraudulent use of a license plate, resisting arrest and reckless driving.
Two of those thefts involve allegedly stealing Subaru WRX sport coupes off the lots at Hilo Mazda-Subaru and Kona Mazda-Subaru. The alleged Kona theft occurred Jan. 16, while the Hilo incident took place Sept. 23 last year. Manuwai reportedly had the keys to both cars.
Manuwai is also under investigation for the alleged thefts of two Honda CR-Vs on Jan. 1 and 11 from a parking lot on the 600 block of West Lanikaula Street in Hilo.
A third man, 33-year-old Shannon Navor of Pahoa, is still being sought by police. He’s suspected of stealing a sport utility vehicle during a Jan. 7 burglary in Waimea, and is wanted for questioning in other investigations and on warrants for violating probation.
Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call the police nonemergency line or Crime Stoppers at 961-8300.
Esteban noted that keys left in a vehicle often have house keys on the same key ring, which can lead to potential burglaries along with auto thefts, and offered a number of tips to help car owners safeguard their vehicles:
• Lock your vehicle.
• Never hide a second set of keys in your vehicle.
• Park in attended lots and in well-lit areas.
• If you use valet parking, leave only the ignition/door key.
• Never leave your vehicle running when unattended, even if you will be gone for only a minute.
• When fueling your vehicle at a gas station, remove the ignition key, conceal any valuables and lock your doors.
• Completely close all windows of parked vehicles.
• Do not leave valuables or paperwork in plain sight.
• Park with your wheels turned toward the curb to make your vehicle more difficult to tow.
• Set your emergency brake when parking your vehicle to make it more difficult to tow.
• Back a rear-wheel-drive vehicle into your driveway to make it more difficult to tow.
• If you have a garage, park your vehicle in it and lock it.
• Do not leave title paperwork in your vehicle.
“Owners may also want to consider arming their vehicles with an alarm system or a steering wheel lock to further act as a theft deterrent,” Esteban said.
“Although these are not 100 percent theft-proof, the installation of these and similar devices may discourage would-be thieves and protect your property.”
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
