MEDIA RELEASE

Keoni Fujio Yamada

A Kona man is in police custody in connection with a car break-in at a Kona beach.

At 3:45 p.m. Wednesday (January 7), Kona patrol officers responded to a report that a bystander was following a silver sedan after witnessing the driver break into a parked car at Kua Bay and remove items from within. The bystander followed the silver sedan to Waikoloa Beach Road, where the driver parked it and fled on foot.

Police investigation led to the identity of the suspect as 30-year-old Keoni Fujio Yamada of Kailua-Kona. He was arrested in Kailua-Kona at 11:45 a.m. Thursday (January 8) and taken to the Kona police cellblock while detectives from the Area II Criminal Investigations Section continued the investigation.

At 11:50 a.m. Friday, detectives charged Yamada with unauthorized entry of a motor vehicle, two counts of theft and violating terms of release on bail for a meth trafficking case that is scheduled to go to trial next week.

His bail was set at $80,000. He remains at the cellblock pending his initial court appearance scheduled for Monday.