(BIVN) – A five-year veteran of the Hawaiʻi Island Police Department was honored in January for his “tenacious investigations” that led to the apprehension of two wanted felons.

During a ceremony in Hilo on Thursday, January 19th, Officer Jayce Carvalho was honored as Officer of the Month for November 2022 by the Aloha Exchange Club of East Hawai‘i.

In November 2022, Officer Carvalho arrested the two felons who, combined, have a total of 163 prior arrests, police say.

Officer Carvalho is currently assigned, temporarily, to Hawai‘i Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Section Special Enforcement Unit (SEU). The unit is tasked with “apprehending violent offenders and investigating crimes involving persons that pose a serious threat to community safety.”

The first arrest took place in early November. From the Hawaiʻi Police Department:

On November 9, 2022, as Officer Carvalho made checks at a residence in Pāhoa where wanted individuals tend to congregate, he saw a man with a power tool under a white Ford van that had no front license plate and a faded “V” on the hood. Officer Carvalho knew that a Ford van matching this description had been reported stolen from the Hāmākua area on November 7, 2022, and that Malani Tavui was listed as a suspect in that investigation. After confirming that the van was stolen and the man under the van was Tavui, Officer Carvalho arrested Tavui and recovered the van.

A .38 caliber revolver was recovered after executing a search warrant on the van.

Police say Tavui, a convicted felon who is prohibited from owning or possessing any firearms or ammunition, was later charged with:

• unauthorized control of a propelled vehicle
• ownership of possession prohibited
• first-degree theft

Bail for Tavui was set at $60,000, police say.

Officer Jayce Carvalho’s second arrest was carried out in late November. From the police department:

In a second investigation, Officer Carvalho was able to tie together several crimes that took place in east and west Hawai‘i, subsequently identifying and arresting a suspect, Cyrus Kapeli-Spencer, who was charged with numerous theft offenses.

On November 25, 2022, Hilo patrol officers responded to a vehicle break-in at a private club in the Keaukaha area of Hilo after a woman reported that she had confronted an unknown man in her vehicle at the facility. The man reportedly removed her purse, along with several of her personal belongings, fleeing the area in a black Ford Edge.

Taking over the investigation, Officer Carvalho identified Kapeli-Spencer as the suspect and was able to link the Ford Edge to a vehicle break-in at Kua Bay, just north of Kona, on November 21, 2022. In the Kua Bay case, suspect(s) had broken into the rental vehicle of a 56-year-old woman and her 12-year-old son who were visiting the island and removed multiple items, including credit cards. Police determined the victim’s credit card was used at a retail establishment in Kona by Destanyie Calicdan, who Officer Carvalho knew to be the girlfriend of Kapeli-Spencer.

On November 28, 2022, police learned the black Ford Edge was at the Kona courthouse and responding patrol officers saw Kapeli-Spencer and Calicdan in the area. Officers arrested Calicdan relative to the Kua Bay incident, however, when they attempted to stop Kapeli-Spencer, who was driving the Ford Edge, he fled the scene.

Two days later on November 30, 2022, Hilo patrol officers arrested Kapeli-Spencer and recovered the Ford Edge. In the course of his investigation, Officer Carvalho determined the Ford Edge belonged to a car rental company in Kona and that the establishment was unaware the vehicle was missing. A theft investigation was initiated regarding the Ford Edge.

Police say Kapeli-Spencer was charged with:

• unauthorized control of a propelled vehicle
• first-degree unauthorized entry into a motor vehicle
• first-degree theft
• second-degree theft
• habitual property crime
• resisting an order to stop
• driving without a license

His bail was set at $76,000.

Police added:

Officer Carvalho embodies the Hawaii Police Department vision statement of providing the highest quality of police service and making the Big Island a safe place to live, visit, and conduct business.

Every month the Aloha Exchange Club of East Hawai‘i honors a police officer in East Hawaii as their officer of the month. Officers are nominated by their supervisors from the police districts in Area I, including Hāmākua, North Hilo, South Hilo, and Puna, and a winner is selected. All officers selected for Officer of the Month are eligible to be selected as the Aloha Exchange Club of East Hawai‘i Officer of the Year.