{"id":2034,"date":"2026-07-01T04:11:13","date_gmt":"2026-07-01T04:11:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=2034"},"modified":"2026-07-01T04:11:13","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T04:11:13","slug":"im-sorry-hawaii-island-police-officer-keeps-job-after-unlawful-search-case","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=2034","title":{"rendered":"\u2018I\u2019m sorry\u2019: Hawaii Island police officer keeps job after unlawful search case"},"content":{"rendered":"
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HAWAII ISLAND (HawaiiNewsNow) – With tears in his eyes, Hawaii Island police officer Noah Serrao apologized in Hilo Circuit Court Tuesday morning before he was sentenced for his alleged role in an unlawful search case. <\/p>\n

Read more Spotlight Now: Sen. Jarrett Keohokalole on 1st Congressional District run<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI would just like to start off with saying that I\u2019m sorry to the courts and to anybody this may have affected regarding my decision-making,\u201d Serrao said.<\/p>\n

Judge Henry Nakamoto sentenced Serrao to 400 hours of community service and four years of supervision. Serrao\u2019s criminal history will also remain clean, and he will be able to keep his job and carry a firearm.<\/p>\n

In January, the state attorney general charged Serrao with perjury, a class C Felony, and two misdemeanors after he and officer Blane Kenolio allegedly searched an arrestee\u2019s bag without a warrant in 2023.<\/p>\n

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Court documents say a report was filed claiming the bag smelled of marijuana and contained a meth pipe, which prosecutors determined was false.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis was an official document submitted to the court for review. There was a false statement in there, and while the facts and circumstances leading up to that may have been due to an error or lack of judgement, at the end of the day, that offense is serious,\u201d Deputy Attorney General Kyle Mesa said. <\/p>\n

Serrao\u2019s father, Norbert Serrao, a retired Hawaii Police Department sergeant, was behind him as he was sentenced. <\/p>\n

\u201cI have learned a lot from this situation. I have learned from my mistakes, and I have taken full accountability and responsibility for my actions,\u201d Serrao said.<\/p>\n

Serrao and Kenolio were with the department for six years and both pleaded no contest, asking for a deferred plea acceptance to keep their records clean. <\/p>\n

Read more Lifeguards warn public after shark spotted off Makaha shores<\/a><\/p>\n

Nakamoto granted the request to Kenolio and assigned him to a year of supervision during his May sentencing. <\/p>\n

Serrao also got the deferral Tuesday. <\/p>\n

\u201cI treat everyone fairly, whether police officer, not a police officer, you get the same consequences, but you also get the same benefits,\u201d Nakamoto said. <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

In deciding Serrao\u2019s sentence, Nakamoto considered a 100-plus-page report with letters from community members attesting to the officer\u2019s character.<\/p>\n

The judge also noted Serrao has no criminal history. <\/p>\n

\u201c(Serrao) lived a law-abiding life, had done community service work, assisted the community… This looks like something that is an isolated incident that I trust would not happen again,\u201d Nakamoto added. <\/p>\n

In concluding his statements, Serrao said, \u201cI think, ultimately, I would like to just be able to move on from this, open a new chapter in my life, and I think most importantly, is to be able to have the opportunity to gain the trust back of the courts and the community, to help further my career as a police officer and to make me a better police officer.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Serrao will also have to pay $400 in court fees. <\/p>\n

The Hawaii Police Department suspended Serrao for 50 days without pay. Kenolio was suspended for 24 days. <\/p>\n

HPD reported both officers are currently on regular duty with no restrictions. <\/p>\n

In a statement, HPD Deputy Chief Sherry Bird said, \u201cThe Hawaii Police Department expects its officers to maintain the highest standards of integrity. We value the comprehensive investigation conducted by the Department of the Attorney General that culminated in today\u2019s sentencing. Moving forward, our department remains firmly committed to accountability and we will continue to work hard to strengthen public trust with every member of the community we serve.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Police investigate stabbing, assault in Kailua-Kona industrial area<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Previous coverage<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Officer Noah Serrao will not serve prison time after a Hilo circuit judge sentenced him to 400 hours of community service and four years of supervision.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2033,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2034","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n\u2018I\u2019m sorry\u2019: Hawaii Island police officer keeps job after unlawful search case - Hawaii Moving Insider<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=2034\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u2018I\u2019m sorry\u2019: Hawaii Island police officer keeps job after unlawful search case - 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