The search for three inmates who escaped from the Hale Nani Correctional Facility in December 2024 came to an end for a second inmate on Tuesday, January 14, 2025, when Kawai James Pomroy was apprehended in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. The 41-year-old Pomroy was arrested by park rangers at around 2:45 p.m. without incident.
Pomroy now faces multiple charges in connection with his escape, including second-degree escape, first-degree theft of a motor vehicle, and first-degree unauthorized entry into a motor vehicle. Bail has been set at $9,000 for these offenses.
In addition to the escape-related charges, Pomroy was also arrested on a Warden’s warrant for a furlough violation, which carries no bail. He has been returned to the Hawai‘i Community Correctional Center.
Pomroy was one of three inmates who fled from the Hale Nani facility on December 13, 2024. Facility personnel reported that Fernandez, Loa, and Pomroy left the facility without permission and were later observed on surveillance footage operating an employee’s vehicle, which they did not have permission to use. The other two escapees include 36-year-old Joseph Canito Fernandez, who was located and arrested at a residence on Hawai‘i Boulevard in the Hawaiian Ocean View Estates subdivision on December 18, 2024. Fernandez was taken into custody without incident. The vehicle stolen during the escape was recovered the same day at a property in Hawaiian Ocean View Estates. The third escapee, 31-year-old Clyde Takeshi Talosaga Loa Jr., remains at large and is considered armed and dangerous.
Authorities are continuing their search for Loa and urge anyone with information about his whereabouts to contact the Hawai‘i Police Department at (808) 935-3311, or Detective David Po‘ohina at (808) 961-2385, or via email at David.Poohina@hawaiicounty.gov.