Man nabbed after crash in stolen vehicle kills 1

A 46-year-old Kauai man faces multiple charges after the stolen truck he was operating collided head-on with a car, killing the 19-year-old female driver.

The collision occurred Thursday on Kuhio Highway in Kapaa, Kauai, in an area in front of the Courtyards at Waipouli apartment complex.

According to police, the truck, which had been stolen from a home on Makaha Road moments earlier, was traveling south on the highway when it crossed the center line and struck a Mazda sedan driven by Kayla Huddy-Lemm.

Huddy-Lemm was taken to Wilcox Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.

Following the impact, the truck continued on for 500 feet before coming to a stop near Kintaro Japanese Restaurant. The driver, Cody Safadago, fled the scene on foot and was later found near the Wailua Shopping Center.

He was apprehended after a brief struggle and transported to Wilcox for medical evaluation.

Safadago was later taken to the Lihue police station where he was arrested on suspicion of negligent homicide, accident involving death, unauthorized control of a propelled vehicle, operating a vehicle under the influence of an intoxicant, resisting arrest, driving without a license, inattention to driving and reckless driving. He is being held in lieu of $32,000 bail.

Police said excessive speed and alcohol appear to be contributing factors.

Hawaii criminal records indicate that Safadago was convicted in 2012 for second-degree theft and was sentenced to six months in prison and five years of probation.