Pre-trial detainee held on theft, drug charges escapes from MCCC

HONOLULU, Hawaii (HawaiiNewsNow) - A pre-trial detainee being held on a slew of theft and drug charges escaped from the Maui Community Correctional Center on Thursday night, according to the state Department of Public Safety.

Jail officials say 27-year old John Kahalehoe appears to have escaped from the facility’s Dorm 2, scaled a fence and ran into a cemetery next to the jail around 7:10 p.m. 

Jail staff chased him through the cemetery but lost sight of him in a construction area, according to a department spokesperson.

Maui Police were reportedly called in to assist in the search. A lockdown was ordered for the dorm during the search but was lifted a little more than an hour later.

Jail officials described Kahalehoe as being around five-foot-six and 150 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes.

He is currently awaiting trial for Unauthorized Entry into a Motor Vehicle, Theft 2, Theft 3 Burglary 1, Promotion of a Dangerous Drug, Credit Card Forgery, and Criminal Property Damage, though he’ll know also face an escape charge when found. 

Anyone with knowledge of his whereabouts is asked to call 911.

It’s not the first time detainees at the jail have escaped. Last year, two separate inmates escaped through a broken door and were able to leave the facility without being apprehended.

Staff searched the perimeter after they were discovered missing and spotted clothing caught in the razor wire at the top of the jail’s north-facing security fence.

Both suspects were back in law enforcement custody several days later.

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