LIHU’E – Three Kaua’i Police Department vice officers who allegedly used federal funds to go to Maui for training, but may not have actually attended the training, were subpoenaed by an attorney representing a defendant accused of felony drug offenses.
LIHU’E – Three Kaua’i Police Department vice officers who allegedly used federal funds to go to Maui for training, but may not have actually attended the training, were subpoenaed by an attorney representing a defendant accused of felony drug offenses.
Attorney Michael Soong subpoenaed Wesley Perreira, Lawrence Stem and Channing Tada to show up Tuesday for a hearing on a motion to suppress evidence seized from his client, Crystal Battulayan.
Soong pointed out to Fifth Circuit Court Judge Kathleen N.A. Watanabe that he personally served KPD’s Custodian of Records Estelle Furuike last week with a subpoena to turn over the vice officers’ records of their trip to Maui for a training session last year.
James Itamura of the county attorney’s office said that he will be filing a motion to quash Soong’s request.
Watanabe reset the hearing for Feb. 2.
Additionally, she also scheduled a show-cause hearing to find out why Furuike did not show up with the subpoenaed records.
Furuike said that she turned the records-request subpoena over to lawyers in the county attorney’s office for review and advice.
According to the records-request subpoena, Soong wanted Perreira, Stem and Tada’s personnel files. Soong also wanted “any and all reports of deception, dishonesty, or fraudulent acts” by the three officers.
The subpoena shows that Soong also asked for files and reports of any disciplinary action taken by KPD leaders, or those of any other county, state or federal law-enforcement agencies.
Additionally, Soong wanted any and all files, reports, documents, records or photographs of any and all strip searches conducted by KPD officers at the KPD cellblock, or at other locations, during 2004 and 2005.
Soong is representing Battulayan, who faces six felony drug counts.
She was indicted in August on two counts of possessing crystal methamphetamine, one count of possessing oxycodone, and on three counts of having drug paraphernalia.
The indictment shows that the alleged offenses took place in May.
Battulayan, 32, of ‘Aiea on O’ahu, is being held at the Kauai Community Correctional Center on $50,000 bail.
