LIHUE — Six suspects in several islandwide burglaries have been arrested, Kauai Police Department officials said Tuesday. They said the arrests of five adults and one teenager in just over a week, between Nov. 27 and Dec. 5, came in
LIHUE — Six suspects in several islandwide burglaries have been arrested, Kauai Police Department officials said Tuesday.
They said the arrests of five adults and one teenager in just over a week, between Nov. 27 and Dec. 5, came in part from community assistance.
“Our detectives and patrol officers have been working diligently to apprehend those responsible for the burglaries and thefts occurring islandwide,” Kauai Police Chief Darryl Perry said in a statement. “While we are pleased to report these recent arrests, we know there are others who need to be held accountable for their actions.”
So far in 2014, law enforcement officials on Kauai have arrested 230 individuals for theft, 21 people for burglary and 34 people for unauthorized entry into a motor vehicle. Those arrests have resulted in a total of 436 charges.
“Many of these arrests are the result of citizens working closely with our officers to find and apprehend those responsible,” Deputy Police Chief Michael Contrades said. “This partnership is absolutely essential to solving these types of crimes.”
Two Kapaa men, Wendell Kaneakua, 20, and Justin Doudt, 38, were arrested Thanksgiving Day evening after officers responded to multiple thefts and car break-ins at various locations. Witnesses reported the men had stolen personal items from a visitor while he was swimming at Kealia Beach. The pair were apprehended with the stolen property about 45 minutes later in a pickup truck at Wailua River State Park.
The state charged Kaneakua and Doudt with second-degree theft as co-defendants in the same case. They were arraigned on Dec. 4 and will be tried on March 2. They were charged with taking a red cooler, a pair of Oakley sunglasses, a cellphone, folding chair and a key ring, the total value of which exceeds $300.
That same afternoon at Kahili Beach in Kilauea, a male visitor reported that several items, including electronics, were stolen from his rental car. A police investigation led to the arrest of 24-year-old Jason Burrell two days later at his parents’ home in Kapaa.
Burrell was reportedly working with a second suspect, Austin Ferris, 27, who was arrested on Dec. 5. Ferris, who is being held at the Kauai Community Correctional Center, is believed to be connected to at least three other car break-ins at various locations on Thanksgiving Day.
The state charged Burrell with second-degree theft of items, including an Apple MacBook Air laptop, between Nov. 27-29. He was arraigned on Dec. 3 and will stand trial April 6.
The state charged Ferris with four counts of first-degree unauthorized entry into motor vehicles and four counts of second-degree theft of a GoPro camera, clothing, jewelry, an external hard drive, jewelry bag and contents, and an Apple MacBook Air. He was arraigned on Dec. 11 and will stand trial on April 13.
A 16-year-old male was also detained after he was linked to two residential burglaries in the Hanalei area on Thanksgiving. The suspect was apprehended the following day at his Kilauea home, where police recovered the stolen items.
The suspect told officers he broke into at least eight other homes in the Hanalei area that day but did not find items of value to steal.
Jacob Mathews, 28, of Kapaa, was arrested on Dec. 2 in connection to a September jewelry theft from a Alohi Place home in Lihue. The state also charged Mathews with first-degree burglary for unlawfully entering a Hanapepe home on Ahi Street in August. He was arraigned on Sept. 9 and will stand trial on Jan. 20.
Mathews also faces multiple drug charges after police recovered methamphetamine from his vehicle during his arrest.
Anyone with information on a recent theft is asked to contact police at 241-1711.
