ʻO Nā Kealoha, Nā Pāʻina Kōkeina, A Me Ke Oxycodone
Ma kekahi hoʻokolokolo e hiki mai ana, ua hoʻāhewa ʻia ko Katherine Kealoha kaikunāne ʻo Rudolph Puana i ka hoʻoholo ʻana i kekahi lina lāʻau kuhikuhi ma kona kikowaena lāʻau hoʻēmi ʻeha ma ka Moku o Keawe.
Kā ka luna hoʻoponopono nota: Unuhi ʻia na Ākea Kahikina.here to read this article in English.
Ua kū mai ʻo Katherine Kealoha no ka paʻi kiʻi ʻia ʻana me kekahi laina kōkeina ma luna o ko kāna kāne pākaukau hana ma kona kū luna mākaʻi ʻana e lanakila ai kekahi piliwaiwai, wahi a kekahi mau moʻolelo ʻaha hoʻokolokolo i hoʻopihapiha ʻia aku nei.
ʻO ka manaʻo i upu leʻa ʻia aʻela mai nā loio hoʻokolokolo mai, he māhele nō ia ma kekahi noiʻi kalaima e pili ana i ko Kealoha kaikunāne ʻo Rudolph Puana, ʻo ia hoʻi kekahi kauka hoʻēmi ʻeha ma ka Moku o Keawe, a ua hoʻāhewa ʻia ʻo ia e ka U.S Justice Department no ka hoʻoholo ʻana i lina lāʻau kuhikuhi kūʻē kānāwai, a ma laila lākou ʻo kona mau hoa e kālepa aku ai i nā lāʻau opioids no ke kōkeina a me ke kālā.
ʻO Kealoha, he loio hoʻokolokolo kūlanakauhale ʻo ia i ka wā i hala, ua nonoi maila ʻo ia i kona kū hewa ʻana no kāna hana ma ka ʻōhumu, e laʻa kona hūnā ʻana i kā kona kainunāne hana kalaima mai ke keʻena kaulike mai ma o ka hoʻoweliweli ʻana i kekahi kālepa lāʻau ʻino e noho mū e pili ana i ke kīnohi o nā lāʻau kuhikuhi i loaʻa ma kona hale ma kekahi pākaha mākaʻi.
Ua hoʻonohonoho ʻia ʻo Puana no ka ʻaha hoʻokolokolo ma ka lā 14 o Kepakemapa, a e alo ana ʻo ia i nā ʻahewa he nui no ka hāʻawi ʻana i nā lāʻau e mālama ʻia e ke aupuni, e laʻa ke oxycodone a me ka fentanyl, a me nā ʻahewa ʻana i ka hoʻopunipuni ʻinikua olakino a me kona punihei e loaʻa nā pū he nui iā ia.
Ma nā palapala ʻaha hoʻokolokolo, ua kuhi aku nā loio hoʻokolokolo e alakaʻi ʻia e Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Wheat no San Diego mai i ka ʻōlelo hōʻike a lākou e kaʻana aku ai ma ko Puana hoʻokolokolo hana kalaima.
Wahi a lākou, mai nā makahiki 2012 a i 2017, ʻo Puana kekahi kauka anesthesia i hōʻoiaʻiʻo pālua ʻia e ke keʻena, a ʻo ia ka ʻona o kekahi kikowaena lāʻau hoʻēmi ʻeha ma ka Moku o Keawe i hāʻawi i 25% o kāna mau kuhikuhi lāʻau no ke oxycodone — ma kahi o nā huaale he 7,000 — i kona mau hoa pili ʻo Christopher McKinney lāua ʻo Joshua Derego, a na lāua i kūʻai a kālepa aku i nā huaale no ke kōkeina.
“He hōʻike ka nui ʻino o nā huaale a Puana i hāʻawi aku ai i kēia mau kānaka i ka maʻamau ʻole o ka hoʻoholo ʻana i ke kaʻina hana ʻoihana, a ʻaʻole kēia no nā pahuhopu olakino maoli,” i kākau aku ai ʻo Assistant U.S. Attorney Colin McDonald i loko o kā ke aupuni nonoi ʻana aku.
“A, e like nō me kā kēlā mau hoa i hōʻoia aku ai ma ka hōʻike i hoʻohiki ʻia, ʻaʻole i pili iki kā Puana kuhikuhi lāʻau i ka lāʻau lapaʻau ʻana. ʻO ia hoʻi, ua kuhikuhi ʻo Puana i ka lako o nā huaale no kekahi mahina i hiki i kona mau hoa ke kūʻai aku i ua mau huaale nei ma ka mākeke kūʻē kānāwai e loaʻa ai ke kālā maʻalahi (a ua hoʻohana ʻia kekahi e uku ʻia ai nā pāʻina kōkeina me Puana).”
Ua hea inoa ʻia ʻo McKinney lāua ʻo DeRego ma nā palapala ʻaha hoʻokolokolo, akā ʻaʻole lāua i hoʻāhewa ʻia.
ʻO McKinney, he mea kākau kaulana ʻo ia ma Ჹɲʻ, a ʻo ia ko Puana hoa wā kamaliʻi no Oʻahu mai. Ua kākau pū lāua i kekahi puke e pili ana i ko Puana wā kamaliʻi i kapa ʻia ʻo “The Red-Headed Hawaiian: The Inspiring Story about a Local Boy from Rural Hawaii Who Makes Good.”
Wahi a nā loio hoʻokolokolo, ua haʻi akula ʻo McKinney iā lākou, i ko lāua hana pū ʻana i ka puke, ua ʻai lāua i “nā kuaniki nunui o ke kōkeina.” Wahi a nā mea noiʻi, ua kākau ʻo Puana i kekahi kuhikuhi lāʻau no McKinney no ke oxycodon a ua ʻōlelo ʻo ia iā ia, hiki iā ia ke kūʻai aku i ka huaale pākahi no $15.
Pēlā pū ka pilina o DeRego me Puana, ua “kohu hoa hānau” lāua, wahi a nā loio hoʻokolokolo. Ua kolepa, inu, a ʻai kōkeina pū lāua. Ua hele pū kā lāua mau keiki i ke kula uku like.
Wahi a ka palapala ʻaha hoʻokolokolo, ua kākoʻo ʻo Puana a me kāna wahine i kekahi haʻawina kālā hele kula no kā DeRego mau keiki e hele kula, no ka mea, ua ʻāʻumeʻume ʻo ia e uku i ka uku kula. Wahi a ka ʻōlelo, ua hāʻawi ʻo Puana iā DeRego a me kāna wahine ʻo Elena Rodriquez i ke oxycodone no lāua e kūʻai aku ai no ka uku kula ʻana no kā lāua mau keiki.
Ua hoʻopili ʻo ia iā lāua i kekahi kālepa lāʻau ʻino ma ka Moku o Keawe i kuhi ʻia e nā loio hoʻokolokolo ʻo “the Hawaiian,” a ua haʻi akula hoʻi ʻo ia, hiki iā lāua ke kūʻai aku i ka huaale pākahi no $20. Ma waena o nā makahiki 2013 a i 2015, wahi a nā loio hoʻokolokolo, ua kuhikuhi ʻo Puana i nā huaale oxycodone he 4,000 a ʻoi iā Rodriguez a ua pale ʻia nā huaale e Medicaid.
He māhele koʻikoʻi ʻo Kealoha ma ka hoʻolālā hāʻawi lāʻau ʻino, wahi a ka Justice Department, a ua hōʻoia ʻo ia pēlā ma kekahi ʻaelike noi ma ʻOkakopa ma ka makahiki 2019.
Ua ʻōlelo ka loio hoʻokolokolo, ua kākau kona kaikunāne i nā kuhikuhi lāʻau kūpono ʻole no ke olakino nona a me nā kānaka ʻē aʻe e hiki ai iā lākou ke kūʻai aku i nā lāʻau ma ke alahele a i ʻole e kālepa aku no ke kōkeina, a ʻo ka ʻai ihola nō ia o lākou i ua kōkeina nei no lākou iho.
Ua hoʻohana ʻo Kealoha i kona kūlana loio hoʻokolokolo e hoʻolalau i ke keʻena kaulike ma hope o ko HPD pākaha ʻana i ka hale o kekahi kālepa lāʻau ʻino ma 2015, a ua hopu ʻia nā lāʻau i hāʻawi ʻia e kona kaikunāne. Ua mālama hoʻi ʻo ia i kekahi pilina kūpono ʻole me ke kālepa i hoʻāhewa ʻia ʻo Tiffany Masunaga e hoʻomū ai iā ia no ke kiaʻi ʻana iā Puana.
I ko McKinney subpoena ʻia ʻana e hōʻike ʻōlelo ma mua o ke kiule nui pekelala ma 2018 e pili ana i ka pilina me Masunaga, wahi a ka ʻōlelo, ua kāhea ʻo ia iā Puana me ka ʻōlelo ʻana aku pēnei, “e hoʻomanaʻo ʻoe, he hoʻokūkū kēia no kā kāua ʻōlelo a me kāna.”
Ma o nā mea a pau, ua kākau ʻo McDonald, ua punihei ʻo Puana i ke kōkeina, nā lāʻau hoʻēmi ʻeha, a me ka waikulu.
“Ua māhuahua ʻino aʻe ko Puana hoʻohana ʻana i nā lāʻau e mālama ʻia e ke aupuni a hiki i ka manawa e ʻaʻa ʻia ai kona mau hoa ʻai lāʻau e paʻi kiʻi iā lākou iho e ʻai kōkeina ana ma kahi kūpono ʻole,” i kākau aku ai ʻo McDonald. “Ua ʻlanakila’ ko Puana kaikuahine ʻo Katherine Kealoha ma o ka hoʻouna ʻana aku i kekahi kiʻi me kekahi laina kōkeina ma luna o ke pākaukau hana o ka luna mākaʻi no Honolulu ʻo Louis Kealoha.”
Ke hoʻokō nei nā Kealoha i mau ʻōlelo hoʻopaʻi pekelala no kā lāua hana ma nā moʻo kalaima i huʻe ʻia ma hope o ko lāua hoʻopili ʻia ʻana i ka hewa ma ko lāua hoʻāhewa wahaheʻe ʻana i kekahi lālā ʻohana no ka ʻaihue ʻana i ko lāua pahu leka.
Ua pili kā nā loio hoʻokolokolo mau palapala i ka hōʻike a ka Justice Department e makemake ai e hoʻohana aku no hōʻoia ʻana i ka hihia kalaima no Kalaima. ʻŌlelo nā loio hoʻokolokolo, makemake lākou i manawa no ka hoʻohana ʻia ʻana o kā Puana mau ʻōlelo ma loko o ʻelua mau hālāwai me lākou ma ʻOkakopa ma ka makahiki 2018, a ma laila lākou i hāʻawi aku ai iā ia i kekahi manawa no kona laulima pū ʻana me lākou.
Ma loko o kēlā mau hālāwai i holo aku ma hope pono o ko Puana hoʻi ʻana mai kekahi kikowaena hoʻoponopono ola ʻo Betty Ford ma Minekoka, ua hōʻoia ʻo Puana, he “kanaka ʻai nui ʻo ia i ke kōkeina,” a ma ke ʻano he kauka ʻo ia, ua “kāhina nō ʻo ia ma kona kūlana.” Ua haʻi pū akula hoʻi ʻo ia i nā loio hoʻokolokolo, e lapaʻau ana ʻo ia i kekahi mau kānaka “me ka hoʻopalapala ʻole ʻana,” a ua kuhi ʻo ia i kēlā mau ukuna ma loko o kekahi puke noka āna i hūnā aku ai ma kekahi waihona lole i laka ʻia ma kona kikowaena lāʻau hoʻēmi ʻeha.
Ke noi aku nei ka hui loio hoʻokolokolo i kekahi luna kānāwai no ka hiki ʻana ke hoʻohana i ua puka noka nei ma ke ʻano he hōʻike, me ka wehewehe ʻana aku he “waihona malū” ia e kuhi ʻia ai kāna hana kūʻē kānāwai. Makemake pū hoʻi ka Department of Justice e kaukaʻi i ka hoʻohana ʻana i nā hōʻike paʻa, e laʻa nā kauka i hiki ke ʻōlelo e pili ana i ko Puana punihei lāʻau ʻana a me kāna hana hewa ʻana ma ke ʻano he kauka.
ʻO kā Puana wahine mua a me kāna kōkoʻolua ʻoihana ʻo Lynn Welch, e mahuʻi ʻia kona hea ʻia ʻana ma ke ʻano he hōʻike paʻa ma ka hihia kalaima, wahi a nā palapala.
E heluhelu mai i ka hoʻopihapiha hou ʻia ʻana o nā palapala ʻaha kolokolo ma ʻaneʻi:
Ua kākoʻo ʻia kēia papahana e ka ʻOhana o Harry Nathaniel, Levani Lipton, ka ʻOhana Mar, a me Lisa Kleissner.
