Military man charged with urinating on Hawaiian burial mound at zoo
A 21-year-old military man has been charged with urinating on a burial mound protecting the skeletal remains of 200 Hawaiians outside Waikiki Zoo.
Cody Pace, of a Camp H.M. Smith address, was charged Tuesday with desecration, violating park closure, and urinating in public. His bail was set at $3,000.
About 2 a.m. Tuesday, Pace allegedly walked past an officer who warned him that the park was closed and urinated on the burial mound fronting the zoo, a source said. He was arrested at 2:03 a.m. at the zoo.
The burial mound was dedicated in 2002 and protects the iwi kupuna of 200 Hawaiians displaced by Waikiki construction projects. At the time of its dedication, the memorial still had room for hundreds more iwi kupuna that are displaced by construction projects in Waikiki.
65 responses to “Military man charged with urinating on Hawaiian burial mound at zoo”
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That mound should not be there. Rude as this guy apparently was, how could he have notice that it was something sacred/
Because it is capped by a concrete and stone structure and surrounded by a gated, heavy wrought iron enclosure and includes a memorial plaque indicating its significance. Based on when the incident occurred, guessing he was probably drunk, so those things probably wouldn’t have mattered to him. But the burial mound is definitely not just a small bump in the grass that someone could inadvertently walk on, if that is what one might be thinking. To commit an act of desecration on the site therefore cannot be described as inadvertent by any stretch of the imagination, especially given he had been warned away by an officer. Do a Google street view of the corner of Kapahulu and Kalakaua Avenues and you’ll see it situated on the Mauka-Diamond Head corner of the intersection.
MANDA, I might be wrong. I would imagine that the burial mound is conspicuously marked with a sign and a headstone.
It has a fence but as noted above, a plaque says what it is and it’s in the Zoo lawn.
Who are you to say it shouldn’t be there? Stupidity is not and excuse to even urinating in public let alone on something sacred to the natives of Hawai’i. You must be an outsider and don’t care of Hawaiian values and way of life in the islands.
He was drunk and did not know what he was doing. But his bad judgment should be noted by his CO. Yes, let him pay his stiff fine.
Should have peed at Hula’$ Bar. That’s the closest bar. Wait, maybe he’s G.
And that would be relevant…how?
mo better if he just peed in his pants.
And maybe you are too. At least back in the day.
Drunk or not peeing in public eweee
There’s a restroom across the street on the ocean side in Kapiolani Park that is open 24 hours.
Hey when you gotta go, you gotta go.
This wasn’t about having to go when you gotta go. It was probably an expression of his disrespect, for the cop and the people who are buried there. No doubt he will live to regret his actions that night. I don’t think the US Army will be very happy about this incident either. Give him a Dishonorable discharge and send him back to the mainland where he belongs.
Excuse me Manda, where else would the Iwi (bones) be….remember this is Hawaii, the iwi are from our ancestors who lived in that area. Dont forget this is Hawaii ….Hawaiian Lands for HAWAIIAN HANDS
I don’t blame him as there aren’t ANY signs telling people what is in there.
Would he do it at his barracks lawn? Yeah, I don’t think so.
Sign or not…it definitely IS NOT a toilet! There’s no sign in your front yard either, so it must be okay to piss there…
Ouch, *itchslap to NB’s head .. I think you should test out that theory at the old man’s house in Nanakuli.
LanaUlulani: Please add your address so folk can come round and urinate on your property, since I am sure there are ARENʻT any signs in your vicinity telling people where a public toilet is either. Engage your brain before you comment. Using your logic, people will have license to urinate ANYWHERE!
$3000/ a lot of money for someone who make less then $1200/ a month. Community service and cultural classes are more in order.
That is the amount of bail. I think if he went to a bail bond company, he only has to pay 10% of the bail amount.
Cultural classes? Cruel and unusual punishment. BTW Hawaiian people attack military cultural all the time!
Yeah, those Hawaiians bombed Kahoolawe, Makua Valley, left radioactive material in the soil of Pohakuloa, and leak their fuel into our drinking water at Red Hill!
“Justmyview” must be having a hard time seeing what’s going on around him with his head stuck where the sun don’t shine.
I was in the military, and travel the world. Public drunkenness isn’t tolerate period especially if you’re in the military. I’m Hawaiian and proudly served, you must be one of them that disrespected native Hawaiians.
Military culture? Huh?
Bail for DUIs and worse are MUCH lower. Too funny.
I hope Cody gets a sweet housing allowance to help displace “average locals” looking for housing and being days away from homelessness…
Alcohol makes people do stupid things. I am sure he will hear from his CO, as well.
And that will be a harsher penalty.
Had 2 hitches in the Army back in mid 40’s and got in my share of problems. Hope he can straighten out and make something of his life. It can be done, I made it.
Considering that it was 2 AM in the morning, it is a safe bet that all restrooms were locked and he probably had too much to drink. Really should not be surprised that something like this happens. Keep the restrooms open and any fines might be justified. But when one has to go, one has to go. I wonder if he knew this was sacred or it just looked like a good place to Urinate. I mean he might think it was better to urinate on earth than on a sidewalk?
In front of a police officer. The price we pay to keep the homeless from destroying the bathroom. By the way Boots where is the closes bathroom? And so can I piss on a grave in Arlington ?
Actually I know of 2 restrooms close by, at least 3 if you cross the st. I admit it was not smart for him to do this but just saying if the restrooms were open, this may not have happened. It is not fun when you have to go and you find the restroom locked.
Considering it’s easier to find drugs than a public restroom in Waikiki, maybe the guy should be cut some slack.
Seriously. HPD “vigilant and on the job” for this trifling matter…
Meanwhile murders, assaults and rapes go on. And that’s just HPD officers!!!!
Actually he was in the one area of Waikiki where it is easy to find a public restroom but sadly they are all locked up. Maybe the one by the police station would be open?
Restrooms can be far distance at Punchbowl and many other cemeteries, so if someone pee’d on those grave sites we should cut them slack too? I don’t think so. No difference in this case either, not to mention the bad mana coming his way will be worse than what he’s getting from our legal system or the military.
Could he not have used the gigantic tree that is literally right next to the mound?
He was, as they say, “blind drunk”.
He will get bachi when his boto falls off.
Haaa, Haaa…thanks for starting my day with a laugh!!!
Ditto
Alcohol and youth, a volatile mixture as I’m sure many of us can attest to. Good thing he didn’t do it in Japan.
Hope he got a “quickie” by some big dude in jail.
Cody must be seeing some shadows and other interesting things after the sun goes down. Hope he learns about the culture and exhibits more class in the future.
Let’s put the shoe on the other foot. If someone went into Punchbowl National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, and got caught relieving himself on one of the military graves, or the monuments, he probably wouldn’t see the light of day for about a month – not to mention the fines. Class-up!
Was the soldier a combat veteran? That plus he didn’t know the spot was a grave would mitigate guilt. He disobeyed a lawful order of the cop on duty. We wll did something like this when blowing off steam when in the service by getting plaster on liberty in a strange town.
There’s a sizeable wrought-iron fence around the whole thing, a gate that is closed, and flags. Maybe he just pissed on the outer wall and thought it was a random fence?
So combat veteran have license to urinate anywhere? I don’t think so!
Too bad, but young and too much alcohol? Sounds exactly like our Rio Olympic kids and their drinking spree. Another’s Life’s lesson.
Why does the writer even note that he was a military member? Does it matter? If he was not military, would this article have been written? Bias against military?
How would you have written the article?
I wouldn’t! Not news, This happens every night and more on weekends by all types of people!
Happens every night? Except a cop just told him the area was close and I’m sure he disrepected the cop by just pulling it out. If this was the mainland, reaching for his waistline in a dark park, near a high crime area, would have resulted in a cop shooting. Oh wait, his name was Cody.
Yikes…I think his pipi is going to fall-off soon for doing such a disrespectful act.
Dude needs to go to Puuhonua O Honaunau and beg forgiveness.
Drunk.
I really believe he was so drunk he didn’t know where he was and just had to go! Bet the Homeless do that everyday!
Bachi on his botos.
More than one? That is bachi enough…
We need more and plentiful public bathrooms. The way we expect people to “hold it” in Honolulu or pay to pee by going into a store or business is savage and a public health issue. #noplacetopee
When you consider all of the other crimes being committed in Waikiki at 2:00am, this is not even in the top ten. Stupid actions by a drunk kid? Yes, but I say cut him some slack. We were all young and stupid.
i wonder if this idea has ever been broached! what about establishing cultural orientation classes at ALL military installations? invariably there always are informal exchanges among the new incoming personnel on “local” aspects of interest albeit where to get supplies, food, gas etc, so why not include things cultural and have it include an official formal introduction on all cultural aspects unique to that particular area? that would be better than to just turn loose new persons into a new environment without an orientation only to cause some type of altercation simply because of the ignorance and insensitivity to the area. just a thought….! it would be much better, would it not?
If I pissed on the Washington monument. .i would definitely be put in prison. .federal crime. .
Drunk or not don’t piss in public..