A 40-year-old Waikoloa man on felony probation for a 2016 drug conviction faces numerous new drug and firearms charges after his arrest Thursday in a public park in Waikoloa. ADVERTISING A 40-year-old Waikoloa man on felony probation for a 2016
A 40-year-old Waikoloa man on felony probation for a 2016 drug conviction faces numerous new drug and firearms charges after his arrest Thursday in a public park in Waikoloa.
Police say they screened Derek Conway’s vehicle with a drug dog as part of a narcotics investigation and the canine indicated the presence of drugs.
Officers then searched Conway’s body and found about 57.7 grams — more than 2 ounces — of suspected crystal methamphetamine and $111 in cash, which was seized for forfeiture. The vehicle also was confiscated and Conway was arrested and taken to the Kona police cellblock.
Officers later searched Conway’s vehicle and recovered a loaded 40-caliber pistol.
On Saturday, a search warrant was served on Conway’s Waikoloa home and recovered 28.8 grams — another ounce — of suspected crystal methamphetamine, 15 grams of suspected marijuana, 8.3 grams of suspected cocaine, 2 grams of suspected heroin, 165 controlled prescription pills, 14 doses of Suboxone, a semi-synthetic opioid painkiller, and paraphernalia associated with narcotics use and distribution.
In addition, officers seized for forfeiture jewelry, collector-type coins, U.S. bank notes and $116,000 in cash.
Conway was charged with promoting a controlled substance in a public park, three counts each of first- and second-degree promotion of a dangerous drug, five counts of promoting harmful drugs, eight counts of possessing drug paraphernalia, and numerous firearms offenses, including possessing a firearm with intent to facilitate the commission of a felony drug offense and possessing a firearm on a public street.
His bail was set at $441,000. He also was charged with a probation offense for which there was no bail.
Conway made his initial appearance Tuesday in Kona District Court and was ordered by Judge Margaret Masunaga to return at 3 p.m. today for a preliminary hearing.
It’s not the first time Conway has been arrested with a sizable amount of drugs, thousands in cash and in illegal possession of a weapon.
On Sept. 18, 2015, in Kailua-Kona, police arrested Conway in a parking lot on Henry Street after receiving a report he was in a parked car for two hours with the engine running.
Police say officers found Conway slumped in the driver’s seat of an SUV with the engine still running. When they awakened him, Conway appeared to be intoxicated and officers found paraphernalia for intravenous drug use inside the SUV.
A search of the SUV resulted in the seizure of 40.7 grams of heroin, 2.8 grams of methamphetamine, 26 pharmaceutical pills, a switchblade and $4,457 in cash.
Conway originally was charged with DUI, first-degree promotion of a dangerous drug, four counts of third-degree promotion of a dangerous drug and one count each of fourth-degree promotion of a harmful drug, possession of drug paraphernalia and possessing a switchblade.
In a deal with prosecutors, he pleaded guilty to one count each of second- and third-degree promotion of a dangerous drug and the other charges were reduced or dropped. According to court records, Conway was sentenced March 16, 2016, by Kona Circuit Judge Ronald Ibarra to four years probation and an 18-month jail term with the provision he could be released early if accepted into Big Island Drug Court or a residential drug treatment program.
The Department of Public Safety website indicates Conway was released from custody May 17, 2016.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
