Ex-officer receives 14-year sentence

Cabbab expresses regret for his attempt to steal a drug cache

BEFORE being sentenced to 14 years in federal prison yesterday, former police officer Harold Cabbab asked former colleagues, family and friends to forgive him.

Facing U.S. District Judge Susan Mollway, he told her there was "no way to justify my actions" for trying to steal drugs from a Makiki storage locker last December. "I take responsibility for all my actions," he told her. "It was wrong for me to be involved in this incident. I've seen drugs ruin lives ... it didn't go through my mind."

His sentencing comes after he admitted last May to possession of methamphetamine with the intent to sell.

Before breaking into the storage locker, federal prosecutors said Cabbab, 35, had been prepared to hijack a truck, which was supposed to be carrying the drugs from a Honolulu pier. A confidential informant working for the federal government tipped off authorities about his plans.

After the tips, prosecutors put the drugs -- which Cabbab believed to be 20 pounds of ice and nearly nine pounds of cocaine -- in a storage locker near the Makiki Post Office. Cabbab and the informant broke into the locker during the early morning hours of Dec. 9 and 10.

Prosecutors said Cabbab conspired with an acquaintance for nearly a month to steal a shipment of drugs, hoping to make $100,000 each. That acquaintance was working as a confidential informant for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

"He was very willing to use violent tactics to do what he wanted to do," said Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Kawahara.

U.S. Attorney Ed Kubo said he was saddened that someone who swore to protect the public would do such a thing.

"But any law enforcement officer must know that you protect the public. You don't violate the law," he said.

Because Cabbab's sentencing hearing was continued several times, yesterday's proceeding was the third time Cabbab's supporters packed the courthouse, including Cabbab's wife, former University of Hawaii volleyball player Jenny Wilton. The group of about 50 to 60 people gathered in a circle to pray for Cabbab outside the courtroom before the hearing.

Cabbab is a former UH baseball outfielder from 1989 to 1992.

Police Chief Boisse Correa, in a statement after the hearing, said: "We are saddened for the Cabbab family. However, the sentence sends a clear message that no one is above the law. We will continue to work with federal investigators and do whatever else is necessary to maintain the public's trust in HPD. Our officers must be above reproach in order for the department to give the community the excellent service that it deserves."

Mollway said while it was apparent that Cabbab had a loving support group and took that into consideration, she said she could not overlook that Cabbab used his position as a police officer to steal from drug dealers.

According to Kawahara, Cabbab admitted to an earlier robbery, in which he took 10 pounds of marijuana while presenting himself as a police officer. He also noted that when Cabbab broke into the storage locker last year, he did so while wearing a T-shirt with the letters "HPD" written on it.

"He was counting on getting away with this crime because he was a police officer," Mollway said. "He could take these drugs and no one could stop him because he was in uniform."

"Obviously, this is not a good day for us," said Teneri Maafala, president of the State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers. "It's tough for us and without a doubt, it hurts."

Mollway said she could not sentence Cabbab to the minimum of 10 years in prison because he used his position as a police officer to commit the crime. She sentenced Cabbab to 14 years in prison, plus five years of supervised release. Cabbab is expected to be transferred from the federal detention center in Honolulu to a federal penitentiary on the mainland in six to eight weeks.