Big Island Prosecutor’s Alleged Harassment Dates Back Years
In addition to an ongoing harassment dispute with his Paukaa neighbor, deputy prosecutor Winston Albright had allegedly harassed neighbors in the Puna District where he previously lived.
A Big Island deputy prosecutor who was recently ordered to stop allegedly harassing his neighbor has had run-ins with other neighbors, including a couple who also sought a temporary restraining order in 2021 and a single mom in 2012.
Krysty Kubojiri, a process server and paralegal, said she served Randall Winton “Bew” Albright with a temporary restraining order and court summons in July 2021. Her clients, Precious Dela Cruz and Shelton Pacarro, had sought court protection from Albright for alleged harassment, Kubojiri said.
At the time, Albright lived on Hanale Drive in Ainaloa, a rural subdivision in the Puna District.
Albright, who did not respond to interview requests, now lives on Kulana Street in Paukaa, a former plantation community north of Hilo, where he’s again having neighbor problems.
In Paukaa, Albright has had an ongoing dispute with Micah Gauthier, his next-door neighbor. Gauthier also sought court protection from Albright earlier this month and was granted a temporary restraining order against the deputy prosecutor on Aug. 3. A court hearing is scheduled for Aug. 17.
Albright accused the process server in that case of trespassing on his property and refused to accept service, although the court papers were left on his property.
The Paukaa situation sounded familiar to Kubojiri who learned of it in a Civil Beat news story. She shared details last week of her own disturbing encounter with the deputy prosecutor.
At about 6:30 p.m. on July 18, 2021, Kubojiri said she arrived at Albright鈥檚 house on Halale Drive in Ainaloa to serve him TRO papers. She was driving an unmarked car owned by an off-duty police officer, and she was monitoring a police scanner app on her phone.
When she approached the house, Albright came outside. Kubojiri said she identified herself as a process server who was there to serve a restraining order.
She said he ordered her off the property even though she was there on official business.
Kubojiri later learned that Albright had called authorities claiming there was an intruder on his property, she said.
A couple of weeks later, Kubojiri said she attended Albright鈥檚 court hearing to determine whether the TRO on him should be lifted or extended. Albright wasn鈥檛 present in the courtroom but had an attorney representing him. Kubojiri said the attorney told the judge 鈥 not knowing Kubojiri was in the court room 鈥 that a process server had acted illegally by impersonating a police officer while on his client鈥檚 property.
Court records under Albright鈥檚 name show a temporary restraining order filed on July 12, 2021. The file is marked 鈥渃onfidential and not public record.鈥
Albright鈥檚 boss told Civil Beat on Tuesday that he wasn鈥檛 aware of the Puna case. Kelden Waltjen, prosecuting attorney for Hawaii County, did know for months that Albright was having issues with Gauthier. The disabled veteran had outlined the alleged harassment in a Jan. 21 letter to Waltjen.
In a May 4 response letter, Waltjen told Gauthier that 鈥渙ur office has taken steps to address your concerns.鈥 If Gauthier wanted to take the matter further, Waltjen advised he could contact the Board of Ethics. Gauthier said he’s in the process of writing the board a complaint letter.
Waltjen thought Albright and Gauthier were working on mediation and, in his view, the matter “had nothing to do with his employment here at the prosecutor’s office.”
“My understanding is that it was a neighbor dispute,” Waltjen said.
Mayor Mitch Roth, the Big Island’s former prosecuting attorney, originally hired Albright. According to Albright’s LinkedIn profile, he started working for the Office of Prosecuting Attorney in 2011.
In an interview with Civil Beat, Roth said he鈥檒l take a wait-and-see approach until Albright’s court hearing Wednesday. That鈥檚 when a judge will decide whether to lift or extend the temporary restraining order against him.
If the allegations are substantiated, 鈥淚 would definitely be concerned,鈥 Roth said.
“A big part of that job is your reputation,” the mayor said.
Asked if he ever had any concerns about Albright’s behavior when he supervised the deputy prosecutor, Roth said “not in this regard,” referring to alleged harassment. Roth would not elaborate further.
Albright’s disputes with neighbors date back at least a decade. Joseph Alpuro said his mom, Angela Quiroz, used to live next door to Albright on Hanale Drive in Ainaloa. She was a single mom with three kids. The children would play in the street and occasionally pick blossoms from Albright’s landscaping.
Alpuro said the deputy prosecutor would often video the kids playing, claim they were harassing him, and call the cops. The police would show up about 30 minutes later and speak to the kids.
Quiroz filed for a restraining order against Albright in February 2012. Court records show the case was terminated. Alpuro said his mom couldn’t find a babysitter to watch the kids while she went to court.
The stress eventually caused his mom to move away.
“It was insane,” Alpuro said.
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