Former HPD sergeant died after serving prison term

Question: Whatever happened to Kevin Brunn, one of the police officers involved in that Waialua cockfighting operation? I heard recently he had been very ill and was hospitalized.

Answer: Former Honolulu police Sgt. Kevin Brunn, convicted by a federal jury in 2009 for his role in an illegal Waialua gambling and cockfighting operation, died Aug. 26 at a Honolulu hospital, according to police Capt. Andrew Lum.

State Epidemiologist Sarah Park confirmed the 49-year-old died of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, among other causes. MRSA, a staph bacteria resistant to certain antibiotics, can cause infection and is commonly known as a type of flesh-eating bacteria.

In 2009, a federal district judge sentenced Brunn to 2 1/2 years’ imprisonment, and his wife, Micha Terragna, then 42, to two years in prison.

Brunn’s being in prison may have played a role in his overall medical condition, Park said. He had multiple, serious underlying conditions as well as risk factors and had been hospitalized and in the intensive care unit well over a month, she said.

Brunn, employed as a police officer at the time of the gambling, left the department after 23 years of service. He was convicted Dec. 19, 2008, of conspiracy to obstruct law enforcement.

Douglas Gilman Sr. and his sons, Douglas Jr. and William, were convicted of conspiring to conduct an illegal gambling business involving cockfighting, dice and card games running from 2003 to 2005.

Two other former police officers admitted to giving advance notice of police raids to the Waialua operators.

Brunn, who was allowed to turn himself in to federal authorities on June 15, 2009, and Terragna, who was to turn herself in on June 18, 2010, were scheduled to be on supervised release for three years after completing their prison terms.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons website shows Brunn’s release date, actual or projected, was Aug. 17. Terragna, 45, remains imprisoned in Sacramento and is scheduled for release Nov. 21.

The state Department of Health does not regularly collect data for MRSA infections, which are common and can range from a minor skin infection to a serious systemic infection.

MRSA is a problem locally, nationally and globally. The Health Department has focused efforts on prevention such as appropriate wound care and judicious use of antibiotics.

This update was written by Leila Fujimori. You can write to us at Whatever Happened To …, Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-210, Honolulu 96813; call 529-4747; or email cityeditors@staradvertiser.com.