Police want to question a man whose image was captured on a surveillance video at the scene of a suspicious Kona church fire.
At 6:10 a.m. Thursday, officers responded to a report of a fire at the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Captain Cook. When they arrived, firefighters were on the scene and the north rear entrance was engulfed in flames.
Firefighters extinguished the fire and determined it was deliberately set. Damages, estimated at more than $80,000, were limited to the north side of the building.
Kona police detectives opened an arson investigation. A photograph from a surveillance video shows a Caucasian man in his 50s who appears to be tall with a large build and who has light hair with a receding hairline and a mustache. He was wearing dark shorts, a long-sleeved shirt light in color, and rubber slippers.
Authorities ask anyone who knows the identity of the man in the photo or who has information to call the police nonemergency line at 935-3311 or contact Detective Sean Smith at 326-4646, ext. 262, or ssmith@co.hawaii.hi.us, or Detective Walter Ah Mow at 326-4646, ext. 238, or wahmow@co.hawaii.hi.us.
Those who prefer anonymity may call Crime Stoppers at 961-8300 and could be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.