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Twelve DUI arrests made over weekend

Christian Kalalau Johnson – Arrested at roadblock

The Maui News

Police made 12 arrests for impaired driving and conducted 15 sobriety checkpoints over the Fourth of July holiday weekend, continuing a “zero tolerance” approach to impaired driving, said traffic commander Lt. William Hankins.

Ten people were arrested for driving under the influence of an intoxicant and two people with prior DUI convictions were arrested for habitually operating a vehicle under the influence of an intoxicant, police reported.

Ten vehicles were towed under the new county law allowing for the towing of vehicles following DUI arrests. Vehicles weren’t towed if they had disabling damages from a crash or if there was a sober passenger able to legally drive the vehicle.

One driver, Christian Kalalau Johnson, 21, of Wailuku, who was stopped at an early-morning Fourth of July checkpoint at Haleakala and Hana highways, also was charged with assaulting two police officers, police said.

While being screened following the 12:20 a.m. stop, Kalalau Johnson was found to have signs of impairment, failed field sobriety tests and was placed under arrest, police said. As police were arresting Kalalau Johnson, he assaulted two officers, who suffered minor injuries, police said. Both officers received treatment for their injuries and were able to immediately return to work, police said.

Kalalau Johnson was charged with operating a vehicle under the influence of an intoxicant, resisting arrest and two counts of assault against a police officer. Police records show he posted $3,200 bail to be released.

At the 15 checkpoints conducted countywide starting Thursday, police screened 1,331 vehicles. “There were zero alcohol/drug impaired driving fatalities over the July 4th holiday,” Hankins said.

Police had warned of the stepped-up holiday enforcement in a public service announcement that included family members who lost loved ones in drunken-driving crashes joining police in urging people to drive safely.

As of Sunday, police made 262 arrests for driving under the influence of an intoxicant and 13 arrests for habitually driving under the influence of an intoxicant for a total of 275 impaired driving arrests, compared with 280 at the same time last year.

An impaired driving arrest becomes a felony when someone is arrested a third time following two prior impaired driving convictions within the prior 10 years. The felony charge also applies if someone was convicted of habitually driving under the influence of an intoxicant one or more times within the prior 10 years.

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