Inmates recaptured
without a fight

They were unable to
get help from Kalihi and
Waikiki friends and were
caught in McCully

By Debra Barayuga
Star-Bulletin

Two inmates on the lam from Oahu Community Correctional Center for 34 hours are back behind bars.

Cy Huihui Kaina, 21, and Jeffery Pinero, 26, were expected to appear in District Court today. Both were arrested yesterday on warrants charging them with felony escape, robbery, assault and kidnapping. They are being held at Halawa High Security Facility in lieu of $200,000 bail.

The men allegedly flooded their toilet to attract the attention of a prison guard and attacked him when their cell door was opened. They also scaled three 16-foot chain-link fences and apparently placed a blanket over the razor-wire on top to make their escape just before 1 a.m. Sunday.

Adult corrections officer Mel Imamura, 52, was treated at Queen's Hospital for a "severe gash to the head" after being beaten by two cue balls in socks and mop handles, said Public Safety Director Keith Kaneshiro. Imamura was released from the hospital Sunday night.

Two Waikiki crime reduction officers checking out a tip that the escapees had been sighted in Waikiki saw the two just before 11 a.m. yesterday walking mauka on McCully Street fronting the McCully Shopping Center.

The two surrendered without incident, said Maj. John Kerr, commander of the Waikiki District.

Earlier, the two inmates had gone to an acquaintance's home in Waikiki and tried to get clothing and money but were turned away, Kerr said.

The two also tried to contact friends who lived near the prison but were also turned away after they were told sheriffs had contacted them, Kaneshiro said.

Kaneshiro had sent out nearly two dozen sheriffs and brought in search dogs after the escape. Sheriffs also visited friends and acquaintances to determine whether the inmates had contacted them.

Drops of blood were spotted in the area where they had climbed over the fence, Kaneshiro said. The search dogs attempted to track their scent down Puuhale but lost it a short distance down the road.

Kaneshiro visited both towers shortly after the escape to assess the view from the towers. While the view from Tower 2 on Kamehameha Highway was obstructed in some areas because of the women's annex and one of the fences, the area where they climbed over the razor-topped fence was visible, he said.

OCCC warden Nolan Espinda is investigating how the two managed to overpower the prison guard and escape without being spotted by guards in the two watch towers overlooking Puuhale Road, Kaneshiro said.

Tower 3, located on the makai end of the prison had a "clear view of the fence, street and was well-lit," Kaneshiro said. "I'm not making any excuses for them not seeing."

OCCC had been in the process of upgrading security with plans to install $700,000 worth of surveillance cameras, audio equipment and locks this year.

"I think it would give us more of a view of what's going on and not having to rely only on the towers," Kaneshiro said.

The lock to the inmates' cell was inspected and found to be in working order. Kaneshiro on Sunday had ordered the facility to be locked down -- meaning no one was to be let out of their cells -- until a search of all cells was completed. The searches continued yesterday.

As an extra precaution, Espinda also had more razor wire installed along the perimeter of the fence.

While residents are relieved that the two inmates have been caught, members of the public, including the chairwoman of the Kalihi-Palama Neighborhood Board, are wondering how they managed to escape.

At one time, Kalihi residents wanted the prison out of their neighborhood, said Chairwoman Bernadette Young.

Safety is a concern because OCCC is in a residential area, home to many elderly and minorities and is walking distance of public schools, she said."But I think the warden is trying to do the best he can."

Kaneshiro and Espinda have always been responsive to the community's concerns and show up at neighborhood board meetings to update residents on the prison, Young said. "They're very good about responding to the community, but no way can they make the prison disappear for us in Kalihi."