Work furlough escapee arrested in Pearlridge area

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – A 46-year-old work furlough escapee was arrested Saturday afternoon in the Pearlridge area.

Read more Rainbow Wahine volleyball falls to No. 21 Baylor in five-set thriller

Honolulu police said District 3 Crime Reduction Unit officers arrested Jonalee Popa around 2 p.m.

HPD assisted the Hawaii Department of Law Enforcement (DLE) and Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (DCR) in locating and apprehending him.

Popa had been released on a work furlough pass Friday and was scheduled to return by 7 p.m. Officials said he failed to return and was declared an escapee around 7:30 p.m.

Read more DAGS installs 162 new life-saving AEDs in government buildings statewide

The public was not notified of the escapee until about 8 a.m. Saturday morning.

In a statement to Hawaii News Now, DCR Director Tommy Johnson said:

“Once determined that a furloughee has not returned on time, attempts are made to contact the furloughee and their employer. If no contact is made with the furloughee and/or the employer does not know their whereabouts, a [warrant] of arrest is issued and simultaneous to preparation of the warrant, both DLE and HPD are notified and provided with information regarding the furloughee’s description, offenses, and collateral contact information for family and friends. The facility also attempts to contact family and friends in an effort to locate the furloughee. Victim notification is also done if the furloughee’s crime involved violence of any kind.

Inmates participating in the work furlough program are community custody and have earned their way to be in the community and employed as part of their rehabilitation and reentry process. Unfortunately, sometimes, furloughees may have a lapse in judgment and decide not to return from the authorized community pass provided to work.”

In October 2023, Popa’s probation was revoked and he was arrested on an $11,000 warrant tied to an underlying charge of first-degree assault against a law enforcement officer.

Read more Residents invited to Lahaina community meeting

DLE and DCR are leading the investigation.