Former Honolulu Police Chief Louis Kealoha and his deputy prosecutor wife, Katherine Kealoha, said in documents filed in U.S. District Court that they support their civil lawyer’s effort to lift a block on the sale of their Hawaii Kai home.

Federal prosecutors put a block on the home in October, preventing the Kealohas from selling or transferring the property, after a grand jury returned an indictment charging them with conspiracy, obstruction of justice and bank fraud. The indictment also seeks to have the Kealohas’ Mariners Cove home forfeited to the government.

Kevin Sumida, the Kealohas’ civil lawyer, filed papers last week asking the court to lift the block to allow the sale of the home so he can collect the money the Kealohas owe him. He said after the Kealohas pay off their Hawaii Central Federal Credit Union mortgage and what they owe him, there should be money left over for the government. Sumida said that would not be the case if the home is sold in foreclosure.

Hawaii Central FCU filed for foreclosure last month claiming that the Kealohas are in default on their loan and owe at least $1,037,837 in principal, interest and late fees.

Sumida on Friday submitted declarations from the Kealohas and a real estate agent at Locations LLC who said she knew of a broker with potential buyers interested in the Kealohas’ neighborhood before the government put a block on the property.

Maui

Heroin use skyrockets on Kauai after prescription crackdown

Kauai police have seen an increase in the use of black tar heroin over the last two years.

The Kauai Police Department seized less than a gram of black tar heroin in 2015, but in 2017 the department seized 526 grams, the Garden Island reported Sunday.

The department has already amassed 80.8 grams this year, said Bryson Ponce, the Kauai Police Department’s Investigative Services Bureau assistant chief.

Ponce said the increase is a serious concern because heroin use is linked to violent crime.

“In addition to these drugs being shipped into Hawaii via mail services, they are also being transmitted via the dark web on the internet. People are now using crypto-currency to purchase these dangerous drugs,” Ponce said.

Ponce said drug traffickers have turned to street drugs since it became more difficult to obtain large amounts of prescription drugs.

“With this influx of illicit street drugs, KPD has become more aggressive in enforcement efforts,” Ponce said. “We continue to focus on quickly identifying dealers and disrupting the flow of these drugs into Kauai.”

Kauai Prosecuting Attorney Justin Kollar said 10 years ago he had one deputy prosecutor handle all the drug cases in addition to other cases. But now, he said, they have three deputies handling drug cases full time.

“Those cases almost all involve opioids and/or methamphetamine,” Kollar said. “Street drugs are extremely dangerous because they are usually adulterated with other substance like fentanyl or other extremely potent synthetic opioids,” Kollar said.

The problem with opioids, he said, is that they do not discriminate.

“Everyone on Kauai knows or is related to someone struggling with addiction, whether or not they know it,” Kollar said.

Aaron Hoff, founder of the Keala Foundation, said the island’s Adolescent Treatment and Healing Center is scheduled to open in late November.

It will be the first on-island treatment facility.