MEDIA RELEASE

Christopher Wright

A Hawaiʻi Island man has been charged with numerous offenses stemming from the burglary of a barn in Kailua-Kona.

On Sunday (September 28), Kona Patrol officers responded to a 3:30 p.m. report of a burglary at a ranch off Henry Street. A 38-year-old man reported that a barn had been broken into and that two all-terrain vehicles, a large machete and other items had been stolen.

At 6:30 p.m. Sunday, one of the ATVs was found abandoned on Konalani Street in the Queen Liliʻuokalani subdivision. Police recovered the ATV and some of the other items that had been stolen in the burglary.

The victim posted information about the burglary on social media and received tips that an ATV was seen being loaded onto a trailer attached to a Silver Chevrolet Trailblazer at the Kona Crossroads Shopping Center off Henry Street.

At 8:30 p.m. Sunday, the victim reported that he was following a Silver SUV that was pulling a trailer holding the second stolen ATV. He honked at the SUV and tried to wave the driver over to stop. The driver of the SUV reportedly pulled to the side of the road, jumped out while the SUV was still moving and ran into an old lava field off Highway 190. The unoccupied SUV crossed the centerline and crashed into a guard rail near the Maui scenic lookout.

The victim chased the suspect onto the lava field and was able to detain him until police arrived.

The suspect was identified as 52-year-old Christopher Allen Wright, who has no permanent address but receives his mail in Honokaʻa. He was arrested and police at the scene recovered the second stolen ATV and other stolen items from the trailer.

Wright was taken to the Kona police cellblock while detectives from the Area II Criminal Investigations Section continued the investigation. Detectives obtained a search warrant on the SUV, where they recovered the machete, additional items stolen from the barn, methamphetamine, marijuana and paraphernalia associated with illegal drug use.

At 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Wright was charged with theft, criminal property damage, inattention to driving, leaving the scene of an accident, two counts of possessing confidential personal information, five counts of promoting a dangerous drug, six counts of promoting a detrimental drug and four counts of possessing drug paraphernalia. His bail was set at $129,000. He remained at the cellblock until his initial court appearance on Wednesday (October 1).

Police ask anyone who saw the ATV being loaded onto a trailer in the Kona Crossroads Shopping Center or anyone who has any other information about this case to call the Police Department’s non-emergency line at 935-3311 or contact Detective Roylen Valera at 326-4646, extension 268, or rvalera@co.hawaii.hi.us.

Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous may call the islandwide Crime Stoppers number at 961-8300 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.