Police Arrest & Charge Puna Man Following Violent Attack on his Brother  

Hawai’i Island police detectives have arrested and charged 44-year-old Dante F. Modaffari, of Mountain View, following a violent assault on his brother that occurred on Wednesday morning, February 12, 2025, on Lehuanani Street, in Volcano.

The charges against Modaffari stem from an incident reported shortly before 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday, when Puna patrol officers responded to a disturbance on the roadway fronting a residence in the Lehuanani subdivision involving a male party yelling for help.

Responding officers contacted the 42-year-old male victim, with significant bleeding from his arms due to multiple lacerations.  While officers immediately provided the victim with medical aide, he stated that his brother, Modaffari, attacked him with a “machete” and fled the area on foot prior to officer’s arrival.  Additional responding officers conducted checks in the surrounding area, however, Modaffari was unable to be located at that time. 

The victim was transported via Hawai’i Fire Department ambulance to the Hilo Benioff Medical Center, where he underwent immediate surgery for his life-threatening injuries.

On Thursday morning, February 13, 2025, Puna patrol officers continued checks for Modaffari in the Lehuanani area and located him within a structure on a vacant property in the vicinity of the scene.  Modaffari was arrested without incident.

Detectives with the Area I Juvenile Aid Section later served a search warrant on the scene where Modaffari was arrested and recovered potential evidence.

On Friday morning, February 14, 2025, upon conferral with the County of Hawai’i Prosecutors Office, Modaffari was charged with:

• First-degree assault
• Abuse of a family/household member 

His bail was set at $55,000. He remains in police custody pending his initial court appearance scheduled for Tuesday afternoon, February 18, 2025, in Hilo District Court.

Police ask anyone who may have witnessed this incident to call Detective Richard Itliong of the Area I Juvenile Aid Section at (808) 961-2278, or via email at Richard.Itliong@hawaiicounty.gov.

Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous may call the Crime Stoppers number at (808) 961-8300 and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000. Crime Stoppers is a volunteer program run by ordinary citizens who want to keep their community safe. Crime Stoppers doesn’t record calls or subscribe to caller ID. All Crime Stoppers information is kept confidential.