Categorized | News

Police arrest Pahoa man for arson in Hawaiian Beaches structure fire

MEDIA RELEASE

A 45-year-old Pāhoa man is in police custody following a domestic dispute in Pāhoa Sunday night (December 2).

Around 4:15 a.m. Monday (December 3), police arrested Peter Lopes for second-degree terroristic threatening, first-degree arson, third-degree assault and first-degree promoting a detrimental drug. He remains in police custody while detectives from the Area I Criminal Investigations Section continue the investigation.

Sunday at about 7:59 p.m., police and Hawaiʻi Fire Department personnel responded to a Hawaiian Beaches home after receiving a report of a structure fire. They discovered a house fully engulfed in flames. Police learned that the occupants, a 41-year-old Pāhoa woman and Lopes, had exited the home prior to the fire and were uninjured.

Police investigation revealed that Lopes had allegedly threatened to set fire to the house.

Police found Lopes at a nearby home with a head injury unrelated to the structure fire. He was taken to Hilo Medical Center for treatment.

Lopes was arrested after he was discharged from the hospital.

The structure was deemed a total loss.

Police ask that anyone with information on this case or who may have witnessed this incident contact Detective Norbert Serrao at 961-2383 or nserrao@co.hawaii.hi.us.

Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous may call Crime Stoppers at 961-8300 in Hilo or 329-8181 in Kona 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.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

 

Quantcast