PO‘IPU — Two visiting teenagers were allegedly robbed and held hostage at the Grand Hyatt Po‘ipu this week — roughly one month after a series of burglaries plagued that resort and its neighbors. County officials said yesterday that around 10
PO‘IPU — Two visiting teenagers were allegedly robbed and held hostage at the Grand Hyatt Po‘ipu this week — roughly one month after a series of burglaries plagued that resort and its neighbors.
County officials said yesterday that around 10 p.m. June 13, two Mainland hotel guests were walking along the Grand Hyatt pool when they were allegedly approached by Maxwell Aukai Gonsalves, 19, of ‘Ele‘ele, and Jordan Lee-Hornstine, 20, of Koloa, who demanded money from them.
While the younger visitor went to the hotel room to get money, the older visitor was told to remain poolside with Gonsalves and Lee-Hornstine, Mary Daubert, county spokeswoman, said.
When the younger visitor returned, Gonsalves and Lee-Hornstine reportedly took the money and punched the older visitor.
The 18-year-old Missouri resident and his 15-year-old brother sustained minor injuries, but did not require medical attention.
Their parents contacted hotel security and informed them of the incident. Security then promptly called 911.
Kaua‘i police arrested Gonsalves and Lee-Hornstine that night for second-degree robbery, third-degree assault, second-degree terroristic threatening and kidnapping charges, according to the KPD arrest log.
They were released pending investigation.
In the aftermath of last month’s South Shore burglary arrests, two hotel security officers who assisted the KPD were attacked on May 2 at The Point at Po‘ipu.
One of the security officers was hit over the head with a flashlight and the second was knocked unconscious by what he described to hotel security dispatch felt like a bat, Doug Sears, general manager for the Grand Hyatt and member of the Po‘ipu Beach Resort Association, said in an interview for that article.
Sears was off-island and unavailable for comment yesterday. Grand Hyatt spokeswoman Diann Hartman declined to comment.
