Fix It! Why Was An Abandoned Van Parked Next To Maui Jail For Six Months?
Vehicle tagged for removal by county six months ago is still sitting on the side of the road.
A vehicle parked outside of a county jail for an extended period of time would probably raise some serious concerns among correctional officers anywhere in the world.
But not this Toyota Sienna van. It is missing a wheel and is far too damaged for a possible use as getaway car. A sticker on it reads: 鈥淩EAM BIG & HARD鈥 鈥 apparently missing a 鈥淒.鈥 It begs to be reamed to a recycling plant.
The van has been parked on the sidewalk of Waiale Drive, just outside Maui Community Correctional Center, apparently for at least six months. County officials tagged A.V. (abandoned vehicle) on the van鈥檚 windows, and wrote a date on it: June, 18, 2024.
The county Department of Environmental Management indicates on its the removal process for abandoned vehicles may take only a few days.
Typically, a police officer responding to a complaint would tag a vehicle if it meets specific criteria, giving the owner 24 hours to remove it.
If the vehicle is not removed, police would send a report to the Department of Environmental Management’s Abandoned Vehicles Office. Within two days, the office will schedule a tow truck to pick up the vehicle. Towed vehicles are stored for 10-30 days at the expense of the owner, who must claim or recycle it, according to a Maui County spokesperson.
When Civil Beat asked the county why is the van next to the county jail six months after being tagged, we were told to contact the police. Police spokesperson Alana Pico told Civil Beat that on June 7 officers “submitted that abandoned vehicle report to the Department of Environmental Management.鈥
Update
After Pico’s response, county director of communications Laksmi Abraham confirmed that the van was among 15 abandoned vehicles reported to the Environmental Management office that day in June, but a “computer glitch” caused it to be missing from computer files.
Alerted by Civil Beat it was still there, the van was finally towed away before noon on Dec. 31 鈥 six months and three weeks after the initial police report.
“While there was an internal miscoordination with this particular abandoned vehicle report, most are processed in a timely manner,” Abraham said.
In total, 1,475 vehicles were towed from public roads and county properties in 2024.
