Ex-officer seeks taxpayer-funded defense in DUI class-action suit

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Former Honolulu police sergeant Darren Cachola is asking taxpayers to fund his legal defense as he faces a civil rights class-action lawsuit stemming from DUI arrests made without evidence.

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Cachola made no statements during a contested case hearing on Wednesday, leaving his attorney, William Harrison, to speak on his behalf.

Background on the lawsuit

Cachola was the ranking officer at a roadblock in the Waipio area in 2023 when Ammon Fepuleai was stopped.

An officer is heard on body camera video saying he detected the odor of alcohol on Fepuleai, but a breath test at the scene returned a result of 0.00 — no alcohol was present in his system. Fepuleai was arrested anyway for DUI.

After HNN Investigates broke that story, more drivers came forward saying they were also arrested for DUI with no evidence against them.

Cachola and multiple other officers are now defendants in a class-action lawsuit filed by the ACLU Hawaii.

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Attorney argues for equal treatment

Harrison said Cachola’s on-duty status at the time of the arrests entitles him to city-funded representation.

“This lawsuit involves his acts while on duty. He should not be singled out,” Harrison said because of Cachola’s reputation.

Officer’s history of controversy

Cachola has faced multiple domestic violence accusations and is the subject of a separate HPD investigation into his overtime claims, which amounted to hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Cachola also made headlines because he refused to accept court service in the ACLU Hawaii lawsuit. It was only after the court took action that he showed up and was served.

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