UPDATE: 
Co-defendant Rafael Elias Garcia was found not guilty by a jury in 2021 on all remaining charges stemming from the Sept. 6, 2020, incident in Kona. Garcia and co-defendant Adrian Ruiz were initially charged with robbery, terroristic threatening, and criminal trespassing, according to court records. But on March 1, 2021, the state dropped the robbery charge against the two. A Kona jury found Garcia not guilty on the second-degree terroristic threatening and  trespassing counts. Ruiz pleaded no contest on July 22, 2021, to second-degree criminal trespassing and was not prosecuted for the terroristic threatening charges. Ruiz’s attorney and the deputy prosecutor stipulated to the dismissal of the case with prejudice, and Ruiz’s motion for a deferred acceptance of his no contest plea was granted on Jan. 31, 2022, court records show.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE:
A Hawaii Police Department employee and a second man were charged with robbery, terroristic threatening and criminal trespassing stemming from an incident Sept. 6 in Kailua-Kona.

Police said a Holoholo Street family reported that four unknown males came to their property and demanded to see one of the residents of the home regarding a theft allegation. One of the men had a baseball bat and all four left before police arrived. Based on information from the victims, officers located one of the vehicles involved and arrested two men.

One of the suspects, Adrian Ruiz, 38, served as a patrol officer in South Kohala district in 2015 and is currently assigned to a limited-duty position at the Department of Motor Vehicles in Kona, police said. The second suspect is Rafael Garcia, 42, of Waikoloa. Both men posted bail prior to their initial court hearing Sept. 9. Police said a 2005 Cadillac Escalade was seized for forfeiture.

Police said an internal investigation is also underway by the Office of Professional Standards.

Anyone with information on the two other men involved in the incident should call detective James Steffen at 326-4646, ext. 227, or the Hawaii Police Department’s non-emergency number at 935-3311.