Hawai‘i Island police have arrested and charged a man and woman, in connection with a burglary that occurred in Ka‘ū on the morning of Thursday, March 31, 2022.
Responding to an 8:15 a.m. call, police determined that a construction employee arriving at a job site in the 95-800 block of Nīnole Loop Road in Nā‘ālehu encountered two suspects inside a building under renovation. The suspects left the scene in a vehicle after being confronted, and no injuries were reported.
The employee told police that previously laid flooring material in the building had been pulled up and stacked in piles with estimated repair costs around $4,000.
At 9:15 a.m., after making a traffic stop of the suspect’s vehicle in Nā‘ālehu town, police arrested 55-year-old Melvin Burgo of Ocean View, and 43-year-old Tisha Thompson of Mountain View, on suspicion of burglary. Both were taken to the Nā‘ālehu police station while investigators with the Ka‘ū patrol division continued the investigation.
Later that day, after consulting with the County Prosecutors Office, both Burgo and Thompson were charged with one count of second-degree burglary with bail set at $2,000 each. Thompson was also arrested and charged for an outstanding criminal contempt of court warrant, with an additional $1,000 bail being set on her warrant.
Both were later taken to the Kona cellblock where they remain in custody pending their initial court appearance Friday, April 1, in Kona District Court.
Anyone who may have information of this incident is asked to call the police department’s non-emergency line at (808) 935-3311 or Officer Jenna Kosinski-Santos of the Ka‘ū patrol division at (808) 939-2520.
Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous may call the island-wide Crime Stoppers number at (808) 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 does not record calls or subscribe to any Caller ID service. All Crime Stoppers information is kept confidential.