Lunchbox Thief Could Get $125K From State Settlement
The settlement stems from a 2014 incident in which two Big Island corrections officers allegedly assaulted an inmate.
Angry at someone for stealing your lunch?
Then it鈥檚 probably not the best idea to punch them, kick them or bash their head into the bathroom wall because it might end up costing taxpayers.
But聽a 2016聽 alleges that鈥檚 exactly what two Big Island corrections officers did in 2014. And now, they鈥檝e put taxpayers on the hook to cover a $125,000 settlement for a lunchbox thief.
That鈥檚 just one of more than $6.1 million worth of cases settled by the state this year and which the Legislature approved Tuesday via .
In 2014, Zachary Smith, an inmate at the Hawaii Community Correctional Center, swiped a correction officer鈥檚 lunchbox and shared the food with other inmates.
Patrick Chong, who the lunchbox belonged to, and Jason Tagaloa, another corrections officer, took the inmates into a bathroom and began strip searching them. That鈥檚 when Smith admitted he was the thief, according to the lawsuit.
Tagaloa began punching him, then Chong joined in and slammed Smith鈥檚 head into the wall. The two corrections officers then held Smith鈥檚 arms behind him and kicked him in the body, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit says that Smith was taken to a medical unit, but then taken back to his cell to wait six hours before receiving medical attention.
Smith鈥檚 attorneys filed counts of cruel and unusual punishment and due process violations against Tagaloa and Chong, three other correction鈥檚 officers, Public Safety Director Nolan Espinda and his deputy Jodie Maseaka-Hirata.
Chong and Tagaloa were also accused of assault and battery.聽The state settled out of court on April 12.
