Officer Caves Receives Haweo Award for Work Recovering Stolen Property in Multiple Investigations

For his investigative skills resulting in the recovery of stolen property in multiple cases during his first two months on solo patrol, Hāmākua Patrol Officer Kaleb Caves was honored with the Haweo Award during a ceremony held at Hawai‘i County Council chambers in Hilo on December 18, 2024.

A member of the 99^th recruit class, Officer Caves had been on solo patrol less than two weeks when on September 28, 2024, he met with a woman who reported that her ex-boyfriend refused to return her vehicle to her. Officer Caves learned that the boyfriend had two outstanding bench warrants totaling $15,000.

He checked different locations but was not able to locate the suspect or the vehicle. Two days later, Officer Caves learned of the suspect’s location and, accompanied by another officer, went to that location and the suspect was immediately arrested for his outstanding bench warrants. The officers facilitated the return of the vehicle to the woman and although the victim elected not to pursue prosecution, the investigation was sent to the County Prosecutor’s Office.

A month later on October 30, while patrolling Honoka‘a Town, Officer Caves observed a white Toyota Tundra truck traveling west on Māmane Street. Having received information during briefings that a similar truck was reported stolen from a Puakō residence, Officer Caves started following the truck. Despite losing sight of the vehicle due to other vehicles in front of him, Officer Caves checked areas known for suspected criminal activity and located the truck. The driver had left the area before he arrived on scene, however Officer Caves was able to confirm that the truck was indeed the one stolen from Puakō and the vehicle was recovered as evidence.     

Consulting with the Area II Criminal Investigation Section detective assigned to the stolen truck investigation, Officer Caves worked with the detective to draft a search warrant for the truck. When Officer Caves and the detective executed the search warrant on the truck the following day, he discovered an ATV rack in the truck bed. Two weeks earlier, on October 13, Officer Caves had investigated an ATV theft in the Kalōpā area. Although the ATV was recovered after being found on the side of the road, the suspect remained unknown. Officer Caves later determined that the ATV rack recovered from the truck bed was from the stolen ATV, and was returned to the owner. 

Officer Caves also noted that the tread pattern of the tires on the recovered stolen truck matched imprints left in dirt at the scene of a separate theft investigation. While no suspects have been arrested yet, Officer Caves’ investigative skills have resulted in connecting criminal investigations and having property returned to their rightful owners while keeping in touch with victims and informing them of updates.  

These investigations occurred within the first two months of Officer Caves being assigned to Hāmākua Patrol. According to his supervisors, Officer Caves embodies the department’s core values of integrity, professionalism, compassion, team work, and community satisfaction, all of which make him a valued asset to the Hāmākua District and Hawai‘i Police Department.