New host takes over for upcoming episode

Video courtesy Hawaii County Police Department and Na Leo o Hawaii TV, voice by Tim Bryan

A familiar face to viewers of Na Leo o Hawaii television has been promoted in the police department.

Mitchell Kanehailua has been promoted to the rank of captain by Chief Harry Kubojiri, effective April 16.

Kanehailua is commander of the Hāmākua and North Hilo Districts. Before his promotion, he was lieutenant in charge of the Area I Criminal Investigations Section, and could also been seen on Na Leo, “on the lookout” for Hawaii Island’s Mosts Wanted.

The police department says the new host, Officer Patrick Menino, takes over this week on a new episode.

The most recent edition of the Crime Stoppers television program “Hawai’i Island’s Most Wanted” highlights three people captured on a surveillance video, and a Puna man wanted for abuse.

The new episode begins airing Friday, April 30.

In it, police ask for the public’s help in locating a woman and two men suspected of using a stolen credit card to purchase various items in Waimea and Hilo. Their images were capured on a surveillance video. The woman is described as local, between 5-feet tall and 5-foot-6, with brown shoulder-length curly hair, and a tattoo on her left inner ankle. She was driving a sports-utility vehicle described as a late-to-mid-1990s black Dodge Durango with chrome rims. One of the men is described as local with a heavy build, short buzz-type brown or black hair, and a tattoo on his neck. The second man has lighter skin, a muscular build, short buzz-type light brown hair, and tattoos on his upper body. The woman was driving a sports-utility vehicle, described as a late-to-mid-1990s black Dodge Durango with chrome rims.

In this edition of “Hawai’i Island’s Most Wanted,” the host, Officer Patrick Menino, also asks for help in locating a 22-year-old Puna man wanted in connection with an abuse case reported in January. Matthew Aaron Miller is described as 5-foot-6, 145 pounds with blond hair and blue eyes. He is also wanted in connection with theft and identity theft investigations and had a 50-thousand-dollar outstanding warrant for revocation of probation.

Police ask that anyone with information about any of these wanted persons call the Police Department’s non-emergency line at 935-3311 or Crime Stoppers at 961-8300 in Hilo and 329-8181 in Kona. All Crime Stoppers information is kept confidential. Crime Stoppers does not tape record phone calls or subscribe to caller ID.

The television program, which was prerecorded, also asks for the public’s help in locating 22-year-old Julian Richard Benevides of Hilo, who was wanted for an abuse investigation. Benevides turned himself in on April 26 and is no longer wanted.

“Hawai’i Island’s Most Wanted” is a project of Crime Stoppers Hilo, Inc., which is a partnership of the business community, the media and the police. It was inspired by the national TV show, “America’s Most Wanted.”

The program airs on Na Leo O Hawai’i Community Television Channel 54 on Sundays at 5 p.m. and Fridays at 5:30 p.m. It also airs intermittently on Channel 53.