8-27-24 Police Arrest And Charge Puna Man With Property, Drug, And Traffic Offenses
Hawai‘i Police Department
Area I Criminal Investigations Section
Lieutenant Zachary Fernando
Phone: (808) 961-2252
Report No.: 24-068602
Media Release
Hawai’i Island police have arrested and charged 33-year-old Gilbert K. Mata III, of Hilo, with various property, drug, and traffic offenses stemming from an incident that occurred Saturday afternoon, August 24, 2024, after a concerned citizen reported an active burglary at a residence in Puna.
On Sunday afternoon, August 25, Area I Criminal Investigation Division detectives charged Mata with the following offenses after conferral with the County Prosecutors Office:
- unauthorized control of a propelled vehicle
- resisting an order to stop a motor vehicle
- first-degree criminal property damage
- habitual property crime
- first-degree theft
- third-degree promoting a dangerous drug (four-counts)
Total bail for Mata was set at $240,000.
Mata was unable to post bail and made his initial court appearance on Monday afternoon, August 26, in South Hilo District Court.
Responding to a report of an active burglary at residence located in the 15-1500 block of 21st Avenue in the Hawaiian Paradise Park subdivision, officers observed a heavily tinted silver Toyota Tacoma pickup truck with no front license plate parked near a warehouse on the rear of the property.
As an officer exited the passenger side of a police subsidized vehicle, the operator of the truck revved its engine and accelerated at a high rate of speed towards the officer and police vehicle. Fearing for his safety, the officer jumped back into the police vehicle before the truck veered to its right, striking and running over a fence. The truck then reversed aggressively towards the police vehicle striking the driver’s side door causing damage.
The front driver’s side tire of the truck was observed to be deflated after running over the fence. As the vehicle exited the property, officers attempted a traffic stop on the truck utilizing their blue lights and siren. The truck refused to stop and led police on a slow pursuit out of the Hawaiian Paradise Park subdivision, onto Highway 130, then into the Ainaloa Estates subdivision, continuing into the Hawaiian Acres subdivision.
The truck eventually came to a stop on Road 6, between Road E and Road F. Upon giving verbal commands, a man carrying a black back pack exited the driver’s door and a woman carrying a gray back pack exited the passenger’s door. Both parties then fled on foot and ran into the nearby bushes, dropping the backpacks. They were both apprehended by police approximately 10 feet in the bushes.
The man was identified as Mata, and the woman was identified as Carolyn Samson. Both were arrested and transported to the East Hawai’i Detention Facility for booking, processing, and continued investigation by detectives. The truck and backpacks were recovered as evidence and secured pending the execution of search warrants.
Officers then conducted a registered owner check on the pick-up truck using the Vehicle Identification Number, which revealed that the truck was stolen from a residence located on the 20 block of Ka’apuni Street in Hilo, sometime during the late evening of July 27, and early morning of July 28, 2024.
After executing search warrants on the truck and backpacks Sunday morning, police recovered small amounts of methamphetamine, a methamphetamine-smoking pipe, and a blue round pill imprinted with “M30”, which tested positive for the presence of fentanyl.
Samson was released pending investigation.
The officers within the vehicle struck by Mata were not injured.
Anyone who may have information regarding this incident is encouraged to contact Detective Jeremy Kubojiri of the Area I Criminal Investigation Section at (808) 961-2378, or via email at jeremy.kubojiri@hawaiicounty.gov.
