HPD corporal charged with making false reports to law enforcement goes before judge
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - A Honolulu police corporal who crashed his subsidized vehicle into the back of a motorcyclist last year, seriously injuring the rider, went before a judge Tuesday.
Vasai Isala Jr. is charged with false reporting to law enforcement authorities after body camera video showed him telling an officer someone else caused the crash.
Isala was scheduled to enter his plea at the Ewa District Court. But that didn’t happen. Instead, the corporal’s attorney requested a continuance.
The hearing was brief, lasting less than 10 minutes. Both Isala and his attorney attended the proceeding virtually. Besides saying his name, the corporal didn’t speak.
When Judge Tracy Fukui asked the attorney about the status of the case, Cameron Holm responded, “We are requesting a continuance judge. We just need some more time reviewing the discovery before we decide whether we’re going to waive or demand jury trail.”
The judge agreed and gave the defense an additional two weeks to review the evidence.
The case is scheduled to be back in court Dec. 17.
Tuesday’s proceeding came nearly 15 months after Isala crashed his subsidized police vehicle into the back of a motorcyclist at a stoplight near Aloha Stadium. Records show the 62-year-old rider suffered a concussion and serious spinal injury from being dragged down Kamehameha Highway.
Investigators eventually determined Isala caused the crash. But that’s not what the 18-year veteran told a responding officer.
In a body camera recording, that officer could be heard trying to explain what Isala had told her: “He said there was a fled. He said that a bus hit his vehicle. I got to get more info.”
According to police records, that was one of three different stories Isala provided his colleagues about what happened that night.
It wasn’t until HNN Investigates made the case public that Isala was stripped of his police powers and placed on restricted duty.
Previous Coverage
- HPD corporal charged with false reporting after crash that seriously injured motorcyclist
- HPD corporal placed on restricted duty, had police powers removed after crash that seriously injured motorcyclist
- Incomplete police report, differing accounts: ‘Red flags’ questioned in crash involving HPD officer
- HPD corporal’s 2016 DUI case faces new scrutiny amid probe into recent crash
- HPD launches criminal investigation into officer-involved crash that left motorcyclist injured
In addition to the criminal investigation into the corporal’s actions, HPD also launched an internal probe into the responding officer’s “handling of the incident.”
Law enforcement sources tell HNN Investigates prior to the crash, Isala attended a party.
The crash report shows the corporal was never given a field sobriety test — and the box asking if officers suspected impairment was left blank.
Records also state when the crash scene investigator showed up, Isala was gone. But the report makes no mention as to where he went.
On Tuesday, HPD still wouldn’t tell us if officers drove Isala home after the crash because they suspected he was intoxicated, saying it’s under investigation.
Meanwhile, HNN Investigates left a message with the law firm representing Isala, asking for comment on the case. We’re waiting for a response.
This wouldn’t be the first time Isala’s been under criminal investigation.
In 2016, he was charged with driving under the influence after hitting a utility pole in Makakilo. A jury later found Isala not guilty after a relative visiting from American Samoa testified that he was behind the wheel.
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