CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Law enforcement officers talked with occupants of a car at a roadblock on Hauula Homestead Road yesterday in their search for three men who escaped from Halawa High Security Facility on Friday.
Escapees may be For the third day, police this morning took up their posts in Windward Oahu to search the mountains above Hauula for three dangerous prison escapees.
in Koolau caves
As search continues, officials seek
The fugitives
answers on how they got awayBy Nelson Daranciang and Rod Antone
ndaranciang@starbulletin.com rantone@starbulletin.comOfficers used an infrared scope mounted to the police helicopter in a search last night and dropped tear gas on old military bunkers in the Hauula hills yesterday. The explosion of the gas canisters startled nearby residents who thought they heard gunshots. But still, there was no sign of Albert Batalona, Warren Elicker or David Scribner.
The trio escaped from a high-security area of Halawa High Security Facility Friday and are believed to have hijacked a car at Stadium Mall. The car was later found abandoned at the Hauula Kai Shopping Center.
A pig hunter reported being confronted by three or four males on the Hauula Loop Trail Sunday morning and that two of the escaped inmates may have been among them.
"I would say it's a good possibility it may have been them, at least one of them," said Lt. Bill Kato, Honolulu Police Department Career Criminal Unit Supervisor, who is in charge of the search.
Kato said police have received information that Warren Elicker, 25, grew up in the area before moving to Kaneohe and may be familiar with the trails above Hauula.
Police believe whomever the hunter confronted could still be in the mountains. The hunter took the shortest route out and officers were in the area shortly after he called 911, Kato said. Hunters have told police any other route out of the mountains would have taken several hours.
The old military bunkers are high in the mountains above Hauula. Area residents said that in addition to the bunkers, there are many caves.
Police have been monitoring all possible exits from the mountains into Hauula.
Police also were sent to other parts of Oahu, including Waikiki and Waipahu, yesterday after detectives received tips from the public about possible escapee sightings. They were false alarms.
"People are being aware and that's great," CrimeStoppers detective Letha DeCaires said. "But what we're finding is that a lot of people out there bear some resemblance to the suspects.
"The key to identifying these individuals is going to be through their tattoos," she said.
All three escapees have tattoos. Scribner has one of an Asian character on his right shoulder. Batalona's six tattoos include a bird on his right forearm and a woman on his left forearm. Elicker's six tattoos include Old English letters on his neck, the words "Rockafella Boy" on his upper left arm and a map of the Hawaiian Islands on his chest.
While the police search for the escapees, Department of Public Safety officials are investigating how the three escaped from Halawa.
DPS officials confirmed yesterday that all three inmates went through an access panel in their cells and ended up in a utility room between the cells.
From there they went through a ventilation shaft to get outside the building and squeezed through the front gate, which prison officials said had no guard watching over it because he was inside helping with a head count.
"We know how they got out, that's not the problem," said interim Public Safety Director James Propotnick. "The question we're trying to answer is, how did they get out without anyone knowing they got out?"
Propotnick said other cells in the facility do not have a utility space between them, so other inmates could not get out in the same way. He also said that while tools appear to have been needed to open the access panels, no tools were found in the cells.
When asked if a guard may have been involved in aiding the escape, Propotnick said only that all possibilities are being looked at by the department's Internal Affairs investigators.
"I hope none of our people did something that stupid," he said. "If they did, they'll pay the price like anyone else."
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The 3 fugitives
COURTESY HONOLULU POLICE DEPARTMENT
David Scribner
Sentenced to 10 years for robbery and escape in October 2002. Has seven felony convictions for escape, promoting dangerous drugs and robbery.>> Age: 20
>> Height: 5 feet, 7 inches
>> Weight: 170 pounds
>> Of note: Tattoo of Asian character on right shoulder.
COURTESY HONOLULU POLICE DEPARTMENT
Albert R. Batalona
Sentenced to life without parole for the armed robbery of the American Savings Bank in Kahala in July 1999.>> Age: 27
>> Height: 5 feet, 9 inches
>> Weight: 195 pounds
>> Of note: Multiple tattoos including bird on right forearm, man's face on right upper arm, spider web on right elbow, and woman on left forearm.
COURTESY HONOLULU POLICE DEPARTMENT
Warren Elicker
Sentenced to 20 years in prison for armed robbery in November 2001. Has 13 felony convictions for armed robbery, kidnapping, burglary and auto theft.>> Age: 25
>> Height: 5 feet, 8 inches
>> Weight: 175 pounds
>> Of note: Multiple tattoos including Old English letters on neck, Rockafella Boy on upper left arm, nature scenes and letters K and B on right upper arm, Hawaiian Islands map on chest, and KALIHI written on left calf.
