Maui Police Make 21 Arrests for Impaired Driving Over Labor Day Weekend

Maui Police conducted 13 sobriety checkpoints and screened more than 1,400 drivers during an impaired driving enforcement campaign held over the Labor Day weekend. 

Police made a total of 21 impaired driving arrests, including one arrest for habitually operating a vehicle while under the influence.Police also towed 21 vehicles as part of a tow ordinance that allows police to do so as a condition of DUI arrests. 

As of Sept. 7, 2021 Maui County Police have made 385 Operating a Vehicle Under the Influence of an Intoxicant (OVUII) arrests with 18 Habitually Operating a Vehicle Under the Influence of an Intoxicant for a total of 403 total year to date arrests, compared to 360 the same time last year. That marks a 12% increase over last year.

On Friday Sept. 3, 2021 at 8 p.m., police arrested 55-year-old Linda Henke of Nāpili after she was initially stopped at an intoxication checkpoint. Police say officers detected an “overwhelming odor of liquor” on Henke’s breath as she spoke. Police say the woman then allegedly “abruptly accelerated away from officers at the checkpoint.” DUI officers were familiar with Henke from previous encounters and located her at a residence in Nāpili a short time later as she exited her vehicle.

Henke was arrested for Habitually Operating a Vehicle Under the Influence, driving with an open container, resisting an order to a stop vehicle, obedience to a police officer, and driving without valid license. Bail was set at $21,500.

In the State of Hawaiʻi, an OVUII arrest becomes a felony on the third arrest following two prior convictions within 10 years of the instant offense; or if a person was convicted of Habitual OVUII one or more times within 10 years prior to the instant offense.

Lieutenant William Hankins, commander of the Maui Police Department Traffic Division said, “The public can expect the impaired driving checkpoints as well as saturation patrols to continue throughout the remainder of this year. We will do everything in our power to stop impaired drivers from selfishly injuring or killing innocent victims. We need our community to understand: It is up to them to make the smart decision to drive sober and help put an end to these senseless avoidable injuries and deaths that have occurred on our roadways.”