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2 arrested for criminal trespass near lava flow

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HAWAII COUNTY POLICE
Steven Koch, left, and Ruth Crawford
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HAWAII NATIONAL GUARD
A Hawaiian offering was left on dried lava in Puna Thursday.
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Hawaii Air National Guard
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COURTESY HAWAIIAN VOLCANO OBSERVATORY
Minor breakouts of lava ooze from the margin of the June 27th lava flow Thursday. These breakouts are located about 110 yards behind the leading edge of the flow.
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COURTESY HAWAIIAN VOLCANO OBSERVATORY

PAHOA, Hawaii >> Authorities on Hawaii island dealing with impending disaster from lava advancing on Pahoa on Friday made good on threats to crack down on would-be trespassers and alleged criminals they believe may be taking advantage of the situation.

On Friday lava had stalled at the front of the flow from Kilauea Volcano, and officials were watching a breakout of lava upslope and north of the main flow that was

44 yards from the Pahoa Transfer Station and Apaa Street on Friday morning.

Meantime, two Puna residents were arrested for trespassing Thursday after showing reporters cooling lava attached to golf clubs and an egg beater, and may face additional charges for committing a crime during a state of emergency. Police late Friday also said another Hawaii island man faces enhanced charges for allegedly committing a burglary in Nana-wale Estates during the state of emergency.

Hawaii County police said Ruth Crawford, 65, of Aina-loa and Stephen Koch, 59, of Nana-wale were arrested after an officer saw them “facing the flow within 5 feet of the lava and taking pictures.”

They were in possession of two golf clubs that had a ball of hardened lava on the end.

They posted bail of $250 each, police said.

And 33-year-old Blaine Faris III of Ho-nomu was arrested and charged with burglary during an emergency declaration for a break-in in the Nana-wale Estates subdivision, police said in a press release late Friday. The break-in occurred Oct. 19 at a home on Kehau Road, where a car and other items were stolen.

Faris was arrested Thursday and charged with unauthorized control of a propelled vehicle and burglary of a dwelling during an emergency declaration, which enhances the burglary from a Class B felony to a Class A felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison with no possibility of probation.

In September, Hawaii County Mayor Billy Kenoi proclaimed a state of emergency for the lower Puna district under Act 111 of the 2014 state Legislature, which has classifications of certain crimes that are elevated while the emergency proclamation is in effect.

Hawaii County Prosecuting Attorney Mitch Roth said Friday that his office hasn’t seen the police report on Crawford and Koch, but they currently face a petty misdemeanor charge for trespassing. Roth said the case will be reviewed to see whether an additional charge is appropriate.

For petty misdemeanor cases, Roth said police make the charge and send it to their office for review. “If it needs to be amended, we’ll amend it,” he said.

He also said that people who have been documenting themselves with the flow, such as posting visuals on social media, could face charges.  

“It’s very possible that we could make a case against them,” he said.

Glen Bousquet, 56, of Nana-wale told the Hono-lulu Star-Advertiser on Friday he has repeatedly crossed county and private property since Monday, violating a ban on nonresidents entering a neighborhood inundated by lava, took a selfie of himself in front of the lava and escorted a CBS News crew to the flow.

“I hope I don’t get arrested,” Bousquet said when informed of the arrests of Crawford and Koch. “I’ve been up there eight times since Monday. … I had some people with me.”

Bousquet said he has used several routes to get to the flow, including walking behind the county building — and crossing through private backyards.

“As much as I understand trespassing, when I venture out there with the utmost respect, it’s to document it,” Bousquet said. “It’s not to abuse anyone. It’s not that dangerous. It was hot stuff. All’s I’m trying to get at is that the public, in moderation, should be allowed access to a once-in-a-lifetime event.”

Hawaii County Civil Defense Administrator Darryl Oli-veira told reporters Friday that the area remains dangerous, and neighbors in the path of the flow are grieving and mourning the potential loss of their homes. So outsiders need to be both respectful and safe, Oli-veira said, repeating a message he delivers daily.

Bousquet provided the Star-Advertiser with a selfie he took in front of the flow Monday night. He said he also escorted a CBS News crew at 3 a.m. Wednesday, in addition to other visits to the flow this week.

On Wednesday, Bousquet said he wanted to gain “legal access” to the flow by getting permission from one resident.

The woman at first wanted $1,500 to give him access, Bousquet said, which he negotiated down to $1,000 before the woman “said she was afraid.”

“I wanted to do something legally so I wasn’t trespassing,” Bousquet said.

Oliveira said he hopes people will obey the law during this time. “It’s not our intent to make your lives more difficult,” he said.

Rainy weather Friday did not appear to be slowing the lava, Oli-veira said, but it was helping to reduce brush fire danger and smoky conditions from burning vegetation and other materials.

The breakout was moving at a rate of 8 to 9 yards an hour Thursday, but its advance had slowed slightly to about 6 yards per hour Friday. Another small breakout on the south side of the flow destroyed a small structure for cattle Friday morning.

A reinforced pole on Apaa Street, surrounded by lava, dropped another estimated 5 feet Thursday night, apparently because methane gas releases below the surface continue to burn the wooden pole, Oli-veira said.

Breakouts behind the front are widening the lava flow, which was about 60 yards wide at the leading edge Thursday. The closest breakout to the front was about 77 yards behind the leading edge Friday morning.

As the lava approaches Highway 130, county and state officials are considering closing the road out of concerns that tourists and rubberneckers will create safety problems as they try to get a glimpse of the 2,100-degree flow.

Every day, Oli-veira said, officials are considering the possibility that the lava will cross “a trigger point” that would lead them to close Highway 130.

“We’re weighing all of the potential problems of safety risks,” he said.

County and state road crews already have completed work on two emergency evacuation roads to help people get in and out of lower Puna: a one-lane coastal road that goes by various names including Old Government Road and Beach Road; and a two-lane road called Railroad Avenue, which is closest to Pahoa.

While Old Government Road is open, officials are waiting to decide when to open Railroad Avenue, which could happen “any time,” Oli-veira said.

A third evacuation road out of lower Puna — Chain of Craters Road through Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park — remains under construction and is scheduled to open in December.

Meanwhile, Hawaii Electric Light Co. plans to move a second diesel generator into lower Puna within days to help keep power running in case lava overruns transmission lines, HELCO spokes-woman Rhea Lee said Thursday.

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Star-Advertiser reporter Dan Nakaso contributed to this story.

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