HA’ENA — Jeff Brisebois, 48, of Wainiha, was identified by Kaua’i police as the man who was found dead at his home on Powerhouse Road in Wainiha Monday night. Police investigators have given no official cause of death, but a
HA’ENA — Jeff Brisebois, 48, of Wainiha, was identified by Kaua’i police as
the man who was found dead at his home on Powerhouse Road in Wainiha Monday
night.
Police investigators have given no official cause of death, but a
neighbor, who asked not to be identified, said Brisebois died from a possible
gunshot wound, probably Monday morning.
Brisebois’ neighbor said his wife
heard a gunshot from the direction of Brisebois’ home, but wasn’t concerned
because weapons are commonly fired by hunters in the area.
As a result,
neither he nor his wife, the neighbor said, went over to the victim’s house to
check on him. “Three other people I know also heard the shot,” the man
said.
The victim’s adult daughter checked in on Brisebois and found her
father motionless, the man said.
“She witnessed something that was not
right,” he said. “She was scared and came over to get my wife.”
He said
he, his wife and Brisebois’ estranged wife initially thought Brisebois had
committed suicide and called police for help after 8:15 p.m.
The threesome
weren’t entirely convinced Brisebois had taken his life.
All six detectives
from the department were at the scene Monday searching for clues in the case,
KPD’s Lt. Bill Ching said. At this point, police have no suspects, he
said.
Police remained tight-lipped about their investigations and have not
released many details.
Brisebois, who was a part-time landscaper, has a
track record with the police department and the Kaua’i court system.
Over
the last 12 years, Brisebois has been arrested on criminal charges, including
assault, resisting arrest and obstructing government operations.
He also
been entangled in at least three lawsuits with neighbors over access to his
kuleana property, said to be about five acres, located mauka of Wainiha
Powerhouse Road.
The lawsuits:
* In 1988, Henrietta Phillips, a
neighbor of Brisebois, sued the victim and others for refusing to permit her
use of a road to gain access to her landlocked property.
The lawsuit
claimed Brisebois also constructed a bridgehead and a road on the woman’s
property without her permission. In both cases, Brisebois ignored demands from
Phillips to remove the structures, the lawsuit claimed.
The lawsuit also
claimed Brisebois illegally had erected two power utility poles on Phillips’
property without her permission.
The lawsuit said Brisebois had plans to
build a private commercial electric power facility on his property and to sell
excess electricity to Kauai Electric, who was also named in the
suit.
Neighbors of Phillips also were named in the lawsuit.
* In 1992,
Brisebois and his wife, Mary, claimed his neighbor, Brysone K. Nishimoto,
prevented them from gaining access to their property and sued
him.
Brisebois said the government’s partitioning of the Ahupua’a of
Wainiha assured an easement, including vehicular use, from the Wainiha
Powerhouse Road to his property.
But the road was destroyed in 1972, when
considerable bulldozing of lots in the area caused him to lose vehicular use of
the roadway.
In 1985, Nishimoto allowed Brisebois to complete a vehicular
bridge that had been started in 1972 and gave him a five-year lease for
vehicular access to Brisebois’ property.
After the lease expired in
January 1991, Brisebois repeatedly asked Nishimoto for a permanent vehicular
access, but Nishimoto declined.
In both civil cases, which were combined,
a judge’s decision ruled in favor of the defendants, saying Brisebois had no
easement rights over two of the parcels owned by Nishimoto.
* In September
1996, contractor Eddie Soltren sought and won a temporary restraining order
against Brisebois.
Soltren claimed Brisebois harassed him and engaged in
malicious activities between 1995 and 1996.
Soltren claimed Brisebois
placed a wire barricade across a bridge that prevented Soltren from getting to
his property. Soltren also said his access was blocked when Brisebois removed
parts of the bridge.
After obtaining a temporary restraining order against
Brisebois, Soltren sought a permanent injunction, but was denied by a state
judge in January 1997.
In March of that year, Brisebois sought a temporary
restraining order against Soltren and another man for allegedly interfering
with Brisebois and his employees, who were relocating a bridge off a lot near
his lot.
Brisebois said he was later threatened by Soltren.
Soltren and
others then dismantled the bridge, and when Brisebois and others tried to
repair the bridge, Brisebois said attempts were made to run him over with a
vehicle and rocks were thrown at him.
In March 1997, a judge granted a
temporary restraining order against Soltren, pending a hearing for a permanent
injunction .
In connection with criminal incidents:
* In 1997,
Brisebois was charged with obstructing government operations and resisting
arrest.
* Brisebois, in 1999, was charged with assault, trespassing and
criminal property damage.
A friend of Brisebois said the victim was focused
on preserving access to his property, which he cherished and owned with his
grown children.
“I don’t know what his wars were,” said the friend, who
asked not to be identified. “But I liked him. He was a good man.”
