NEWS BRIEFS

• ARRESTS FOR ILLEGAL SHOTGUN SALE: 23-year-old Ryne Wamil of Kawaihae and 21-year-old Austin Silva of Kamuela were arrested on Nov. 20 for trying to sell a sawed-off shotgun to undercover officers in Lakeland subdivision in Waimea, police say.
• O’OMA BREAKIN LEADS TO 16 CHARGES: 26-year-old George A. Cruz III of Kailua-Kona has been charged with 16 offenses stemming from an alleged Oct. 28 car breakin and theft at O’oma beach.

PRIMARY SOURCE

ARRESTS FOR ILLEGAL SHOTGUN SALE

Two Big Island men have been charged with felonies after an illegal weapon was offered for sale online.

Undercover police officers responded to an ad offering a firearm for sale and were informed by the seller that the weapon was a sawed-off shotgun. The undercover officers arranged for a meeting with the seller.

On Thursday, the undercover officers met with two men in the Lakeland subdivision in Kamuela, arrested them and recovered the illegal firearm.

Arrested on suspicion of weapons offenses were 23-year-old Ryne Wamil of Kawaihae and 21-year-old Austin Silva of Kamuela. They were taken to the Hilo police cellblock while detectives from the Area I Criminal Investigations Section continued the investigation.

Later Thursday, detectives charged Wamil with possession of a modified weapon, unloaded firearm and registration mandatory of a firearm. His bail was set at $14,500.

Silva was charged with promoting a dangerous drug and possessing drug paraphernalia after police found a glass smoking pipe on his person. His bail was set at $4,000. He was not charged on the weapons offenses pending further investigation.

Both men remained at the cellblock until their initial court appearance on Friday (November 21).Hawaii County Police Dept. on Nov. 21

O’OMA BREAKIN LEADS TO 16 CHARGES

A Kona man has been charged with 16 offenses stemming from the break-in of a car on October 28.

A purse, a skateboard and various electronics items were removed from the car while it was parked at Oʻoma Beach Park in Kailua-Kona.

Police investigation led to the identity of the suspect as 26-year-old George A. Cruz III of Kailua-Kona.

Community Policing officers, working in coordination with detectives from the Area II Criminal Investigations Section, arrested Cruz near his home on Wednesday (November 19). He was taken to the Kona police cellblock while detectives continued the investigation.

A search warrant on his home and pickup truck led to the recovery of stolen items from the car, three illegal butterfly knives, 470.4 grams of dried processed marijuana, three different Schedule 2 pills and paraphernalia associated with the use of marijuana and hashish.

On Thursday (November 20), Cruz was charged with unauthorized entry of a motor vehicle, promoting a harmful drug, two counts of theft, three counts of promoting a dangerous drug, three counts of promoting a detrimental drug, three counts of possessing drug paraphernalia and three counts of possessing an illegal butterfly knife. His bail was set at $22,500. He remained at the cellblock until his initial court appearance Friday (November 21). Hawaii County Police Dept. on Nov. 21