In the span of five days during April 2022, a Puna patrol officer, on the force for just a year-and-a-half, played a significant role in the apprehension of three dangerous fugitives who were responsible for a plethora of dangerous crimes. For his exceptional police work, Officer Christian Madera was honored as Officer of the Month for April 2022 by the Aloha Exchange Club of East Hawai‘i during a ceremony Thursday, July 14, 2022, in Hilo.
On April 23, 2022, at the start of his shift, Officer Madera received information from community members that a possible murder and serious assault had occurred the previous night. Officer Madera was able to obtain the details of the gruesome events and gather key intelligence regarding the possible location of the victim, as well as the suspect’s identity. With the information that Officer Madera received, assisting officers were able to locate the body of the victim in a remote area of Puna and secure the scene, allowing for the preservation of evidence relative to the investigation.
A small task force was assembled as part of this murder investigation and Officer Madera’s information regarding the suspect’s location was instrumental to the task force locating and safely apprehending the suspect.
Officer Madera continued to work with detectives and stayed in contact with witnesses. Through his efforts, multiple witnesses came forward and a second victim, who was injured during this incident, provided key information that strengthened the investigation.
The 35-year-old male suspect was charged with second-degree murder and second-degree assault with his bail set at $1,010,000.
Five days alter on April 28, while on his way to work, Officer Madera received information that wanted fugitives were in an industrial park in the Kea‘au area. Officer Madera relayed this information to the Criminal Investigation Division (CID) and responded to the area. While waiting for additional units to arrive, he began surveying the area and observed a stolen vehicle that the suspect was reportedly driving. Officer Madera maintained visual observation and continued to relay all information to responding units.
Upon the arrival of CID units, the vehicle fled the area and was subsequently located in a nearby nursery. During the course of this investigation a total of four suspects were apprehended and two stolen vehicles were recovered. Search warrants were executed on both vehicles, as well as a backpack worn by one of the suspects. The search warrant resulted in the recovery of various drug paraphernalia, methamphetamine, a ghost gun (un-serialized firearm), and ammunition.
Two of the parties responsible for the stolen vehicles, as well as the narcotics and firearms, were charged with multiple crimes resulting in a total bail of $305,000. With the department for less than two years, Officer Madera has grown into key figure in maintaining the safety of the community in a short amount of time. He exemplifies Hawaii Police Department’s core values of teamwork, professionalism, compassion, integrity, and community satisfaction.
