(BIVN) – Police are seeking the public’s assistance in identifying six individuals involved in the theft of a school bus from a base yard in Kaʻū.
From a Hawaiʻi Police Department news release:
During the early morning hours of Saturday, May 2, 2026, a bus company employee received a remote alert indicating that one of the company’s buses was in operation. Police responded to the base yard in the 92-1400 block of Donola Lane, where they discovered an office had been broken into and a 2024 Ford bus, used to transport students with physical or mental disabilities, had been stolen.
Through investigation, the bus was later located at a property in the 92-8500 block of Tiki Lane. Officers encountered four men at the scene, one of whom fled on foot. The remaining three were taken into custody.
Video footage from inside the bus showed multiple individuals entering the vehicle after it was taken at approximately 1:30 a.m. and driving it recklessly through the subdivision until about 2:20 a.m.
On Sunday, May 3, 2026, one of the individuals, Mathew James, was charged with second degree unauthorized entry into a motor vehicle. His bail was set at $1,000, and he appeared in Kona District Court on Monday, May 5. The other two individuals were released pending further investigation.
Police ask anyone with information to contact Detective Donovan Kohara at (808) 960-3118 or donovan.kohara@hawaiipolice.gov, or call the non-emergency number at (808) 935-3311.
Anonymous tips may be submitted to Crime Stoppers at (808) 961-8300, with a possible reward of up to $1,000.
