9-07-23 Police Charge Teen Following Threat Made Towards Waiākea High School

Hawai‘i Police Department
Criminal Investigation Division – Area I
Captain Rio Amon-Wilkins
Phone: (808) 961-2251
Report no.: 23-085682

Media Release

Hawai‘i Island police have arrested and charged a 17-year-old male juvenile with terroristic threatening in connection with a reported threat via social media received by a Waiākea High School student in Hilo.

The juvenile was arrested today at his Hilo residence at 1:50 p.m. 

The arrest stems from an incident reported to police on Wednesday evening, September 6, 2023, when police received a call from a concerned parent reporting that their teen received a threatening message from an unknown person.

During the course of this investigation, detectives were able to identify the social media application utilized to make the threat, which ultimately led to the identity of the responsible juvenile, who is a student at Hilo High School.

On September 7, 2023, at 4:20 p.m., Area I Juvenile Aid Section detectives charged the juvenile with second-degree terroristic threatening.

Police take threats of violence very seriously, especially those made towards schools and students. After receiving this threat, police conducted a safety sweep of Waiākea High School and maintained a police presence on campus throughout the day.        

Police ask anyone who may have information regarding this threat to call the police department’s non-emergency line at (808) 935-3311 or contact Acting Detective Corey Kaneko of the Area I Juvenile Aide Section at (808) 961-8843, or via email at corey.kaneko@hawaiicounty.gov.

This entry was posted in Media Releases. Bookmark the permalink. Both comments and trackbacks are currently closed.
  • Keep your community safe through Crime Stoppers

    Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous may call the island-wide Crime Stoppers number at 961-8300 and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.00. Crime Stoppers is a volunteer program run by ordinary citizens who want to keep their community safe. Crime Stoppers does not record calls or subscribe to any Caller ID service. All Crime Stoppers information is kept confidential.

    The Crime Stoppers TV Program is available on-demand from Nā Leo TV.

This site is only for accessing historical media releases prior to November 12, 2024. Visit our new site for up to date information.