Hawaiʻi Police Department
Office of the Chief
Chief Harry S. Kubojiri
Phone: 961-2244
Aloha Exchange board member Joey Estrella presents an 'Officer of the Month' award to Officer Roberto Segobia
Media Release
The Aloha Exchange Club of East Hawaiʻi recognized Puna Patrol Officer Roberto Segobia on Thursday (September 25) as East Hawaiʻi “Officer of the Month” for September.
Segobia, who joined the Police Department last year, was honored for what Captain Samuel Jelsma described as “the dedication and effort he has displayed preventing and solving crime.” In nomination papers, Jelsma cited three examples.
- In mid-July Segobia investigated a theft case and developed a suspect who already had an outstanding arrest warrant on another matter. Segobia was unable to locate the suspect until he spotted him at the end of the month at a county facility while the officer was off duty and in civilian clothes. Segobia approached the man and initiated a conversation that “creatively” confirmed the suspect’s identity. He then casually walked away and called on-duty officers, who arrested the suspect.
- In early August, Segobia saw a man on a dirt bike run a stop sign in the Hawaiian Paradise Park subdivision. When Segobia attempted to make a traffic stop, the suspect fled and raced through the subdivision. Although Segobia was at the end of his shift, he knew that burglars in that area often use dirt bikes to scope out and target homes. He pursued the suspect and eventually was able to arrest the man, who was in possession of two glass smoking pipes, a small amount of marijuana and a packet containing 2.3 grams of methamphetamine. Investigation revealed that the dirt bike had been stolen in a 2011 burglary in Pepeʻekeo. His bail was set at $9,000.
- In mid-August Segobia was one of several officers who responded after suspects abandoned and fled from a stolen car when police conducted a traffic stop on it. With help from concerned citizens, he learned the direction in which the driver of the stolen car had fled. Acting on that information, he found a fresh trail behind a house and followed it to an empty lot consisting of trees and brush. There he found the suspect lying motionless under some brush. He arrested him and took him into custody. His bail was set at $5,000.
As “Officer of the Month,” Segobia is eligible for “Officer of the Year.”
The East Hawaiʻi “Officer of the Month” award is a project of the Aloha Exchange Club of East Hawaiʻi.