Law Enforcement Department halts evictions in wake of violent standoff

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - The state Department of Law Enforcement has stopped all eviction actions statewide to review policies after a 20-hour standoff in Waianae last month.

The moratorium is causing some “mom-and-pop” homeowners to fall behind on their mortgages as they wait out uncooperative tenants, according to their attorneys.

“The only way they can get somebody out of their property for breaking the lease, not paying the rent, doing illegal activities, is the sheriffs,” attorney Victor Bakke said.

He added that owners are afraid tenants could become violent or damage the property.

That’s why the sheriffs are in charge of enforcing court orders.

Attorney William Plum, who also represents homeowners, said in most cases they’ve already waited months for action. “There’s no specific date in which the sheriff’s department will resume the operation of enforcing these writs so it does become a problem,” Plum said.

The standoff on April 18 resulted in a K-9 being stabbed multiple times. Howard Abraham was being evicted from the Uluwehi Condo complex after a court order was issued last October.

Prosecutors charged Abraham with multiple counts of attempted assault on a law enforcement officer after he allegedly fired arrows at the deputies.

He is also charged with causing injury to a service animal. His trial is set for July.

Days after the standoff, DLE stopped all eviction action and launched an internal investigation.

Bakke said reviewing policies doesn’t require the deputies to stop serving evictions.

“That is their job,” he said.

In a statement to HNN Investigates, DLE called it a “safety standdown” to “provide time and space to comprehensively review its eviction procedures.”

DLE said eviction operations are dangerous and emotionally charged.

The statement said eviction actions would resume in “a few weeks.”