Hawaii County police seek men who stole koa lumber
Hawaii County police are asking for the public’s help in identifying two men wanted for theft of cut pieces of koa wood in Puna last week.
About 11:40 p.m. Jan. 29, police received a call from a 60-year-old Mountain View homeowner reporting two suspicious vehicles and that at least four male suspects were stealing the wood.
After confronting two of the men, the victim managed to recover several pieces of his wood, police said. While he was calling police, both trucks fled. The victim reported that he heard gunshots coming from the direction of the vehicles at a distance away. He discovered that a chain preventing access to his property had been cut. The victim was not injured.
One truck was described as a yellow full-size truck and the other as a red-and-white full-size truck. Neither vehicle displayed any license plates.
One suspect — the passenger in the red truck — was described as being in his 30s, about 5 feet 10 inches to 6 feet tall, about 200 pounds with a muscular build, short black hair, and possible tattoos on his neck. He was wearing a light-colored short-sleeved T-shirt.
Another suspect — the driver of the red truck — was described as in his 30s, about 5 feet 8 inches to 5 feet 10 inches with short black hair. He was not wearing a shirt.
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Detectives from the Area I Criminal Investigations Section are continuing the investigation, which is classified as a second-degree theft, first-degree reckless endangering, fourth-degree criminal property damage and first-degree criminal trespass.