Maui police chief placed on paid leave during commission investigation

News admin October 9, 2026 0 Comments

Maui police chief placed on paid leave during commission investigation

WAILUKU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Maui Police Chief John Pelletier was placed on paid administrative leave Wednesday as the Maui Police Commission investigates his oversight of the department’s Criminal Intelligence Unit.

The commission voted 6-0 to place Pelletier on leave in connection with its independent investigation into the now-dissolved unit, which answered directly to the chief.

The action comes after Lt. Michael Vaituulala, who led the unit, was charged by criminal complaint with conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud.

The FBI arrested Vaituulala in August. According to the complaint, Vaituulala allegedly accepted regular cash payments from drug traffickers, illegal chicken fighters, and illegal fireworks distributors.

Pelletier was not at Wednesday’s meeting. According to Deputy Chief Wade Maeda, Pelletier was presenting at an FBI conference in New Jersey and in the process of flying back to Maui.

Maeda — who is now serving as acting chief following a subsequent, and also unanimous, commission vote — defended Pelletier.

“He has not been accused of any crime. He has not been accused of any … violation of any administrative rules,” Maeda told the commission.

In the interim, Deputy Chief Wade Maeda will serve as Acting Chief of Police.

The Maui Police Department said in a statement Thursday: “The Maui Police Department is fully cooperating with the Police Commission’s investigation and is committed to ensuring that the investigation is conducted with integrity and respect for the rights of all individuals involved. The Department’s commitment to its public safety activities will continue as usual and will not be impacted by this temporary change.”

Hawaii News Now reached out directly to the chief for comment and is awaiting a response.