Kihei Woman Arrested For OUI Following Collision With Pole and Tree

By Wendy Osher

A Maui woman was arrested following an early morning traffic accident that forced the closure of South Kihei Road for more than 8 hours on Tuesday, December 1, 2009.

Authorities responded to a report of a motor vehicle accident at 3:18 a.m. When arriving on scene, officers from the Kihei Patrol District discovered that the operator was not at the scene, and a Maui Electric Company wooden utility pole had been sheared off at its base.  The vehicle, a 2005 Honda Element, sustained extensive body damage and was at rest under a large kiawe tree.

An investigation determined the vehicle was traveling southbound on South Kihei Road when it collided with the utility pole and continued on before colliding with the kiawe tree.

Maui police later determined the driver to be 20-year-old Jessica Brown of Kihei.  She was arrested at her residence and charged with Operating a Vehicle while under the Influence of alcohol, and Driving While Licensed Suspended.  Acting Captain Lester Wong with the Kihei Patrol District said in a press release that the woman sustained minor injuries and was treated by the Wailea Medics and Wailea Station firefighters.

Due to the danger of utility lines and the need to replace the entire utility pole South Kihei Road was closed for about eight and a half hours while service representatives from Maui Electric Company, Hawaiian Telcom, and Oceanic Time Warner Cable worked to restore services.

Road closure traffic control was provided by the Maui Police Department’s Highway Incident Traffic Team, who is used to assist district patrol officers with long duration traffic control situations.  According to Acting Capt. Wong, the efforts of the HIT-Team allows the district patrol officers to continue with their investigations, report writing, and other patrol duties in support of their communities.