Hawaiʻi Police Department
Criminal Investigations Division, Area I
Captain Robert Wagner
Phone: 961-2251
Report No. C13022253
Media Release
Police are investigating a case involving a Federal Task Force officer who stepped on a booby trap device in a marijuana patch while chasing a wanted suspect in Puna.
At about 10:30 a.m. Wednesday (August 21), while conducting warrant sweeps in the Ainaloa subdivision, a Federal Task Force officer was attempting to apprehend a wanted individual in the area of Azure Drive. The officer ran into the brush area in a marijuana patch and stepped on a booby trap device made of nails, causing puncture injuries.
The presence of a booby trap device in a marijuana patch increases the offense to first-degree commercial promotion of marijuana, a class A felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison.
Police ask anyone with information about this incident to contact Lieutenant Mark Farias of the Area I Vice Section at 961-2253 or mfarias@co.hawaii.hi.us.
Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous may call Crime Stoppers at 961-8300 in Hilo or 329-8181 in Kona and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000. Crime Stoppers is a volunteer program run by ordinary citizens who want to keep their community safe. Crime Stoppers doesn’t record calls or subscribe to caller ID. All Crime Stoppers information is kept confidential.