Hawai‘i Police Department
Criminal Investigation Division – Area I
Captain Rio Amon-Wilkins
Phone: (808) 961-2251
Report No.: 23-038648
Media Release
Hawai‘i Island police have charged 36-year-old Jason Leroy Kime with an array of additional offenses following the nearly six-hour-long standoff on Kalanikoa Street in Hilo, on Tuesday night, May 2, 2023.
On Thursday evening, May 4, 2023, after conferring with the County Prosecutors Office, the Area I Crime Reduction Unit charged Kime with the following offenses:
- Three counts first-degree theft
- Two counts first-degree unauthorized control of a propelled vehicle (UCPV)
- First-degree burglary
- First-degree arson
- Third-degree promotion of a dangerous drug
Bail for these charges was set at $180,000.
The above charges against Kime stem from two separate incidents.
The first incident occurred Wednesday, April 26, 2023, on Moho Road, in Mountain View. The 72-year-old victim in this case reported that his residence was broken into and numerous items were removed, including the keys to his vehicle, which was also stolen. Kime was later identified operating the stolen vehicle. Several days later on Sunday, April 30, 2023, Puna patrol officers responded to a vehicle fire on 5th Avenue in the Hawaiian Paradise Park subdivision in Kea‘au. Officers located the vehicle, which was fully engulfed, and confirmed it was the vehicle stolen from Moho Road.
Another incident also occurred on April 30 in Hawaiian Paradise Park on Paradise Ala Kai Drive. The 72-year-old victim in this case also reported that her residence was broken into and numerous items were removed, including a firearm and the keys to her vehicle, which was also stolen. Kime was also identified operating this vehicle, and it was recovered upon his initial arrest on Tuesday, May 2, in Hilo.
Prior to the events on May 2, Kime had been sought by police for several weeks after being identified as a suspect in various cases islandwide, including a violent home invasion in Hilo.
On Tuesday, May 2, 2023, shortly after 5:00 p.m., members of the Area I Crime Reduction Unit and Criminal Investigation Section, received information that Kime was located within a self-storage facility on Kalanikoa Street in Hilo. As police responded to the business, they were able to confirm that Kime was on the property, and as they attempted to contact him, he verbally threatened to shoot officers as he locked and barricaded himself within a storage unit.
Due to the circumstances and threats made by Kime, the department’s Special Response Team (SRT) and Crisis Negotiators responded to assist in apprehending him. The storage facility was evacuated, and Kalanikoa Street was closed between Kuawa Street and Piilani Street.
Kime, who is from Oahu, had only been on this island for a couple weeks. He had two outstanding arrest warrants; one was for the violent home invasion robbery in Hilo on Thursday, April 20, that left a 72-year-old female injured. The other incident occurred on Friday, April 21, in Hilo, involving a residential burglary and vehicle theft.
Upon arrival of the Special Response Crisis Negotiation Team, negotiators verbally engaged with Kime in attempts to peacefully resolve the situation; however, Kime refused to exit the facility.
During the course of this incident, Kime managed to breach a drywall barrier of the unit, and enter into two additional bays of the facility. Shortly before 11:30 p.m. on May 2, after negotiations failed, Special Response Team members entered the facility and Kime was taken into custody.
A female acquaintance of Kime, 30-year-old Luwika Hauanio, of Hilo, was also arrested in connection to this incident. She was on the property and operating the vehicle reported stolen on April 30, which she used to intentionally strike a subsidized police vehicle at the scene. There were no reported injuries as a result of this incident.
In addition to these recent charges against Kime, on May 2, he was arrested and charged for his two outstanding arrest warrants for various felony offenses, with bail being set at $123,000.
Kime’s female acquaintance, Hauanio was also charged for the following offenses:
- Second-degree unauthorized control of a propelled vehicle (UCPV)
- Third-degree criminal property damage
- Third-degree promotion of a dangerous drug
Her bail was set at $3,000.
In addition to the plethora of offenses Kime was charged with, the Area I Crime Reduction Unit is completing several additional investigations where Kime was identified as the suspect. Upon completion, these cases will be forwarded to the Office of the Prosecuting Attorney.
