Hearing set for suspect in police car chase

The driver of a gold Honda Civic sedan that police pursued Friday — believing it might have been transporting wanted suspect Christopher Lucrisia — has been charged with first-degree property damage and first-degree resisting an order to stop.

Kaipo Pomroy, 36, of Hilo is alleged to have been the driver of the car, which police say struck a police subsidized vehicle, a Chevy Silverado pickup, causing damage to the front passenger door, front right tire and axle.

Hawaii Police Department Chief Benjamin Moszkowicz said in a Friday night press conference that officers — thinking they might have spotted Lucrisia in the car — tried to make a traffic stop on the Honda in Keaau, but the driver decided to flee toward Hilo.

The sedan later came to a stop near the intersection of Leilani and Manono Streets, and the three occupants, Pomroy and two female passengers, got out of the car. All three were arrested a short time later nearby.

The two females were later released pending further investigation. Police later determined that this pursuit was not related to the shooting that occurred earlier that morning in the parking lot in front of First Hawaiian Bank near the Prince Kuhio Plaza.

Pomroy made his initial appearance in Hilo District Court on Monday afternoon.

Judge Jeffrey Hawk maintained Pomroy’s bail at $70,000 and ordered him to appear for a preliminary hearing this afternoon.

If Pomroy is convicted as charged, prosecutors have provided notice that he may be subject to a mandatory prison term and not eligible for probation.

First-degree criminal property damage is a Class B felony offense which carries a maximum penalty of a 1o-year prison term. First-degree resisting an order to stop is a Class C felony offense and carries a maximum five-year prison term.