Emotions run high as Maui Police Commission hears testimony over handling of fire remains

KAHULUI (HawaiiNewsNow) - The Maui Police Commission heard passionate testimony Wednesday about the handling of human remains after the Lahaina wildfire along with concerns about transparency at the Maui Police Department.

HNN Investigates sources confirm the head of Common Cause Hawaii received multiple messages, including threats of violence and racial slurs, overnight.

Those apparent threats could explain why program manager Camron Hurt was absent from Wednesday’s Maui Police Commission meeting after spearheading a public campaign for transparency.

Special Section: HNN Investigates

Several dozen people were in attendance. Many stood in the hall because there was not enough space in the room.

Whistleblower Greyson Abarra, Grey Tech LLC owner and the MPD’s former morgue contractor, was first to testify.

“The Maui Police Department, an institution meant to uphold the highest ideals of service and protection, has faltered under the weight of absent leadership. The public responses from the chief’s office glosses over critical issues and ignore the very real consequence of the omissions, actions, and inactions resulting in compounded suffering of those who lost loved ones, leaving families in agonizing limbo and a community traumatized,” he said.

Published records along with MPD statements and eye witness accounts reveal many of the recovery processes and procedures critical to accurately documenting the location of a person’s death, and keeping those remains separate so they’re not lost or confused with other sets of remains, weren’t followed.

HNN Investigates confirmed:

• Identification numbers that were supposed to be issued immediately upon a victim’s discovery weren’t assigned until the remains had been moved at least two different times.
• Scene photographs and GPS coordinates weren’t obtained in every case.
• MPD leadership admits instances where body bags were not used to move decedents from their final resting place.

In addition, emails obtained by HNN Investigates reveal an apparent mix-up in which additional bones from a fire victim were found three weeks after MPD had released that man’s remains to a mortuary. According to those emails the newly discovered bones could not be separated from other victims’ remains, something his family says they were never told.

Maui Police Commission Chair Stacey Moniz asked Abarra, “Why did you wait so long to bring these concerns to the community?”

Abarra said, “I didn’t. I reported on it immediately through proper channels.”

“During the after-action with the police department?” Moniz asked.

“Correct,” Abarra replied. “Throughout the whole process, any mishandling reported, like I said, they have all gone ignored.”

Moniz asked, “Did you tell this to the attorney general’s office when they did their after-action as well?”

Abarra responded, “I reached out to the attorney general’s office, the lieutenant governor’s office, Maui County Council, many other platforms as well.”

Commissioner Frank De Rego Jr. said, “I was the chair at the time the fires happened, and at no time did I see any communication from you.”

Abarra said he was under contractual confidentiality until June 17. “That’s when my contract was excused out of the convenience clause,” he explained.

At one point, Moniz asked, “You don’t feel like you have any role or responsibility in this mishandling of remains if you were right there, every step of the way?”

Abarra replied, “By the results, yeah, it shows that trying to speak up and correct the wrongs, this is my result.”

Testimony brought commissioner Kekoa Mowat to tears.

Mowat said, “You are not bringing justice to the people of Lahaina. You have a problem with him (Maui Chief of Police John Pelletier)? Take it out with him. You say you’re going to have litigation. Why are you dragging the commission into this?”

Abarra is in the process of filing a civil lawsuit against the Maui Police Department. He claims MPD owes him more than a quarter million dollars for work he was never paid for.

Mowat said, “They did what they had to do. They never followed protocol. Who has a protocol for 100 people dying and losing a city? What, is there a list where we go, okay, my town got burnt, everybody died, what we going do? Follow this protocol? Make sure you get one body bag. Don’t use a plastic bag.”

Abarra said, “There is protocols.”

Mowat said, “Yeah, there is protocols, but not for this event.”

Abarra said, “There is. There’s also training and events that are conducted to make sure we do it right.”

Mowat said, “What does that have to do with the people who died?”

Abarra said, “So their remains are treated without desecration and integrity.”

Bruce Douglas testified next.

“I was very disturbed by the treatment of Greyson by this commission,” he said.

“This commission is here to gather information, not attack a person. It takes a lot of courage to stand forward in front of this commission and share this information. Instead he was put down for that information, what he’s trying to share, rather than being supported,” Douglas said. “So it makes me wonder, is this commission here’s job to defend the police chief or to question what’s really going on?”

Chief Pelletier commented last.

“Every single family member was given the remains, and I don’t even like to talk about it because it is painful, of what we could identify. If we can’t make an identification on this particular piece of a human being, we’re not going to make that mistake. And if we have to fact check and we have to go back and we have to retest, we did that,” he said.

After the meeting, HNN Investigates waited outside for the chief to ask him about documented missteps he has so far declined to talk about. Instead of facing us directly, he chose to leave through a side door.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE

• National watchdog calls for federal probe into Maui police’s handling of remains following Lahaina fire
• Emails reveal Maui Police Department still holds portion of Lahaina fire victim’s remains
• Watchdog group launches social media campaign publicizing details on Maui police commission meeting
• Morgue contractor suing Maui police for alleged unpaid bills after Lahaina fire
• New Maui police statement reveals county protocol violations in Lahaina fire victim recovery
• Maui PD boasts ‘Coroner’s Office’ award following reports it mishandled fire victims’ remains
• Watchdog group demands answers from MPD chief amid reports department mishandled Lahaina victims’ remains
• Maui PD won’t discuss allegations it owes forensic morgue contractor more than $270K
• Mishandling of human remains: Local forensic company breaks silence on Lahaina disaster response

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