October 26, 2019
Hawaii

Police dispute second claim of mistreatment of wind farm protester

By HNN Staff | Hawaii News Now | October 25, 2019 | www.hawaiinewsnow.com

Police are disputing another claim of mistreatment from someone arrested at a wind farm protest in Kahuku.

Kent Fonoimoana is the former president of the Kahuku Community Association.

He claims an officer grabbed four of his fingers and began twisting them while he was being arrested

HPD showed video of the arrest at a news conference and said it’s interested in setting the record straight. The video did not show any evidence that officers twisted Fonoimoana’s fingers.

“They’re going to grab him under the arm. It wouldn’t make sense to grab his arms or wrist,” HPD deputy Chief John McCarthy said, as the video of the arrest played at the news conference.

“You can see his hands clearly there. He’s not in any pain. Nobody’s injuring him.”

Fonoimoana is the second protester to claim he was mistreated during an arrest.

On Thursday, police held a news conference to deny a teen’s claim that he was tased and punched while officers worked to free him from a cattle gate that he’d chained himself to.


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2019/10/26/police-dispute-second-claim-of-mistreatment-of-wind-farm-protester/