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The Maui News
A homeless man who was arrested early Friday at a Spreckelsville beach is being investigated for driving two stolen vehicles and illegally possessing a firearm, police said.
Randan Vares, 29, was arrested on a $100,000 probation-violation warrant.
A police officer located Vares at about 1 a.m. Friday while checking on occupants in a tent in the Baby Beach area of Spreckelsville, said Lt. Derrick Lopez, head of the Property Crimes Unit of the Criminal Investigation Division.
Vares grabbed a backpack and began to run from the officer before he was able to detain and handcuff the suspect, Lopez said. He said a gold Toyota Tacoma parked near the tent at the end of Kealakai Place was found to have been stolen Jan. 7 from the Maui Beach Hotel.
Detectives were seeking a warrant to search Vares' backpack after officers noticed it was heavy and suspected that it might contain a handgun with a possible magazine attached, Lopez said.
He said Vares also is being investigated in connection with the Dec. 2 theft of a 2005 Toyota Tacoma from Acura of Maui.
"Great work by Wailuku patrol officers, remaining vigilant in the early-morning hours and continuing their proactive work at all hours of the day," Lopez said.
According to court records, Vares is on probation for a firearm offense in a 2007 case. The probation-violation warrant for Vares' arrest was issued in June, court records show.