Honolulu law enforcement officials plead not responsible in crash, cover-up

HONOLULU — 4 Honolulu law enforcement officials pleaded not responsible on Thursday to costs associated to their roles in a cover-up of a high-speed chase that resulted in a crash and a traumatic mind damage to the motive force of one other automobile.

The officers entered their pleas earlier than Circuit Courtroom Decide Christine E. Kuriyama, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported.

One officer, Joshua J.S. Nahulu, 37, pleaded not responsible to a cost for a collision that resulted in severe bodily damage. He faces as much as 10 years in jail if convicted.

Officers Erik X.Okay. Smith, 25, Jake R.T. Bartolome, 35, and Robert G. Lewis III, whose age was not listed in charging paperwork, every pleaded not responsible to 1 felony depend for hindering prosecution and one other felony depend for conspiracy. The primary cost is punishable by as much as 5 years in jail, the second by as much as one 12 months.

The 4 officers had been dispatched to reply to a noise grievance at a Waianae seashore park at 3:30 a.m. on Sept. 12, 2021, based on courtroom paperwork.

That is once they noticed a white Honda exit the parking zone to Farrington Freeway. A civil lawsuit alleges Nahulu, Smith and Bartolome individually chased the Honda at excessive speeds utilizing two marked Honolulu Police Division autos and one automobile sponsored by police. It says the chase continued till the Honda “left the roadway and crashed.”

The officers by no means commanded the Honda’s driver to cease nor did they activate their blue lights and sirens, the lawsuit states.

Nahulu, Smith and Bartolome drove previous the crash scene with out stopping, after which they met Lewis at close by Waianae Intermediate College, prosecutors mentioned.

Smith, Bartolome and Lewis had been then dispatched to the crash website, however once they arrived, the officers behaved as if they’d no prior information of the collision, charging paperwork say.