McGruff watchdog nabs
boys in alleged theft
A cable television technician who is part of the McGruff Truck anti-crime program helped capture two boys who allegedly broke into cars at Big Beach in Makena, Maui.
Alan Kojima, of Oahu's Ocean Time Warner Cable, was working at Big Beach on July 1 when he noticed the boys breaking into cars in the parking lot. He called Maui police, and the dispatcher advised him to monitor the men until police arrived.
Kojima, 42, followed the boys when they hitched a ride with a tourist driving a Jeep, and took down the license plate number. The dispatcher then asked him to flash his headlights to alert a patrol car that arrived to cut off the Jeep, Kojima said.
According to Capt. Glenn Miyahira, of the Kihei Patrol District, the boys, ages 12 and 14, were charged with a felony, unauthorized entry of motor vehicles with the intention to commit a crime. Since the case involved juveniles, it was forwarded to Family Court, he said.
Kojima, who is sent to various neighbor islands once a month, has been part of the McGruff program, a statewide partnership between the state Department of the Attorney General and utility and cable companies, for at least 10 years.
Valerie Mariano, chief of Community and Crime Prevention, under the attorney general's Crime Prevention and Justice Assistance Division, said the Maui incident shows how effective the partnership is between government and private business to keep the community safe. The participants are trained annually primarily to assist children in emergencies and, secondly, to provide the extra pair of eyes and ears needed to stop a crime from occurring, she added.