LIHUE — Lance Kaaumoana, 36, was sentenced this week to serve one year in jail for attacking an endangered Pacific green sea turtle in April. “In Hawaii we take the protection of our marine environment very seriously. This was a
LIHUE — Lance Kaaumoana, 36, was sentenced this week to serve one year in jail for attacking an endangered Pacific green sea turtle in April.
“In Hawaii we take the protection of our marine environment very seriously. This was a truly senseless attack on a peaceful animal and we are satisfied that the Judge imposed the maximum sentence,” said Prosecuting Attorney Justin F. Kollar.
The sentence was handed down in the Environmental Court by the Honorable Judge Michael K. Soong after he heard arguments from Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Anthony Herndon and Kaaumoana’s public defender.
Officers from the Kauai Police Department and the Department of Land and Natural Resources were called to the NAwiliwili jetty area on April 15 after witnesses saw Kaaumoana repeatedly stabbing the turtle with a knife.
The turtle was seriously injured but survived the incident and released back into the wild several days later. Kaaumoana was cited for violating the Hawai‘i Revised Statutes and received the maximum sentence for the misdemeanor offense.
In July 2017, Kaaumoana pleaded no contest to the charge.
“We thank our partners at the Kauai Police Department, the DLNR investigators for their swift response, as well as Kauai District Aquatic Biologist Don Heacock for his efforts to rehabilitate the injured turtle,” Kollar said. “We will continue to vigorously prosecute these cases.”
