Local musician indicted in Aiea hit-run fatality

The state says police identified the suspect in August’s hit-and-run death of a man doing yardwork on the side of Aiea Heights Drive by connecting him to the license plate found at the scene.

An Oahu grand jury returned an indictment Thursday, charging local musician George Van Blyenburg with negligent homicide and leaving the scene of a fatal traffic accident.

Circuit Judge Colette Garibaldi set Van Blyenburg’s bail at $15,000.

Deputy Prosecutor Chastity Imamura told Garibaldi that a silver Honda CRV traveling on Aiea Heights Drive near the Aiea Recreation Center on Aug. 6 went off the roadway, struck a no-parking sign and then hit 42-year-old Brandon Kishida.

An ambulance took Kishida in critical condition to an area hospital, where he died.

Imamura said a motorist traveling in the opposite direction saw the SUV leave the scene with front-end damage. About 15 minutes later, Imamura said, Van Blyenburg showed up at a friend’s house up the street from where Kishida was hit in a silver Honda CRV with front-end damage and a missing front license plate.

She said Van Blyenburg told three people at the house that he had hit a pole down the street.

The people at the house called police later that evening after learning of Kishida’s death.

Police tracked down Van Blyenburg and matched the recovered license plate to the SUV parked in his garage.

Van Blyenburg, also known as “Keoki,” is the composer, lead vocalist and ukulele player of the Ka‘ala Boys.