(BIVN) – 21 out-of-state visitors to Hawaiʻi island were arrested for violating the state’s mandatory 14-day quarantine order during the COVID-19 emergency this week, as well as owner of the Pikake Street residence for violating the order prohibiting the operation of “short-term vacation rentals.”

The arrests included Eligio Lee Bishop, reported by various media sources to be a 38-year-old self-professed cult leader known as “Nature Boy”. Bishop features heavily on the CarbonNation TV channel found on YouTube, which has 85 thousand subscribers. 

Bishop and the others were being tracked on Facebook groups like Big Island Thieves for the alleged breaking of quarantine.

The Hawaiʻi Police Department issued a media release on Friday detailing the arrests. The police stated:

On Wednesday afternoon (June 10) following up on tips from the public and on social media, police arrested 5 men and 3 women at a residence on Pikake Street in the Fern Forrest subdivision of Puna. On Thursday morning (June 11) police arrested 13 additional individuals, 6 females and 7 males, at a residence on Railroad Avenue in the Hawaiian Paradise Park subdivision of Puna. The address some of the individuals were arrested at was not the address they declared to officials upon arrival in the state. Additionally, some of the individuals arrested were also observed at a beach park in Hilo on the day they arrived.

The June 10th Pikake Street arrests involved:

• 29-year-old female, Shenise Gould or Maryland (1-count, bail $2,000.)
• 22-year-old female, Brianna Jacobs of Georgia (1-count, bail $2,000.)
• 22-year-old female, Jayon-Marie Hamilton of California (2-counts, bail $4,000.)
• 24-year-old male, Jacob Benton of California (2-counts, bail $4,000.)
• 21-year-old male, Ishmael Goodwine of South Carolina (1-count, bail $2,000.)
• 20-year-old male, Armon Palmer of Iowa (1-count, bail $2,000.)
• 23-year-old male, Denedric Johnson of Texas (1-count, bail $2,000.)
• 23-year-old male, Jazz Lee or Florida (1-count, bail $2,000.)

The June 11th Railroad Avenue arrests involved:

• 38-year-old male, Eligio Lee Bishop of Georgia (2-counts, bail $4,000.)
• 19-year-old male, Amaar Jawaid of South Carolina (1-count, bail $2,000.)
• 26-year-old male, Logan Leathers of Maine (1-count, bail $2,000.)
• 39-year-old male, Malcolm Gadson of Pennsylvania (1-count, bail $2,000.)
• 25-year-old male, Courtney Townsend of Georgia (1-count, bail $2,000.)
• 31-year-old male, Aaron Dixon of Georgia (1-count, bail $2,000.)
• 25-year-old male, Daylin Armstead of Maryland (1-count, bail $2,000.)
• 33-year-old female, Porchae Wade of California (2-counts, bail $4,000.)
• 22-year-old female, Tinisha Dulay of Louisiana (2-counts, bail $4,000.)
• 25-year-old female, Jenae Newell of Georgia (2-counts, bail $4,000.)
• 22-year-old female, Kayla Buckner of Tennessee (1-count, bail $2,000.)
• 27-year-old female, Nikkia Nunes of Colorado (1-count, bail $2,000.)
• 39-year-old female, Sybil Ferere of New York (1-count, bail $2,000.)

Police added:

The owner of the Pikake Street residence, 42-year-old Tylea Fuhrmann, was also arrested and charged for violating County of Hawai’i Mayor Kim’s COVID-19 Emergency Rule No. 4, prohibiting the operation of “short-term vacation rentals,” which have been deemed non-essential during the proclamation period. Her bail is set at $2,000.

Fuhrmann and the 21 visitors arrested remain in police custody in lieu of bail. Their initial court appearance is scheduled for today (June 12) in Hilo District Court.

In the media release, police reminded the public that Governor Ige’s 14-day self-quarantine orders for all visitors are:

• Proceed directly from the airport to your designated quarantine location, which is the location identified and affirmed by you on the mandatory State of Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture Plants and Animals Declaration Form.
• Remain in your designated quarantine location for a period of 14 days or the duration of your stay in the State of Hawaiʻi, whichever is shorter.
• If you are a resident, your designated quarantine location is your place of residence.
• If you are a visitor, your designated quarantine location is your hotel room or rented lodging.
• You can only leave your designated quarantine location for medical emergencies or to seek medical care.
• Do not visit any public spaces, including but not limited to pools, meeting rooms, fitness centers, or restaurants.
• Do not allow visitors in or out of your designated quarantine location other than a physician, healthcare provider, or individual authorized to enter the designated quarantine location by the Director of HIEMA.
• Comply with any and all rules or protocols related to your quarantine as set forth by your hotel or rented lodging.

In addition, police say that if you are a visitor who becomes ill with a fever or cough:

• Continue to stay in designated quarantine location, avoid contact with others, and contact a healthcare provider for further instructions on treatment or testing.
• If you are older or have any medical conditions (e.g., immune compromise, diabetes, asthma), consult your regular healthcare provider.
• If you feel you need medical care, contact a healthcare provider, and inform them of your travel history.
• If you need urgent medical care (e.g., have difficulty breathing), call 9-1-1 and let the dispatcher know your travel history).

“Travelers will be responsible to get to their place of quarantine”, police say. “Violation of this order is a misdemeanor, punishable by up to a $5000 fine or one year in prison.”