4 men cited for loitering in disaster area

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KAILUA-KONA — Four men were cited Monday afternoon for being in the closed lower East Rift Zone eruption area.

At 4:45 p.m. Monday, the men were spotted in an area north of MacKenzie State Recreation Area by Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement.

The men, identified as Mitchell Shroyer, 30, of Wisconsin, and Christopher McWherter, 36, Nicholas Allen, 27, and Joshua Allen, 32, all of California, were cited for loitering in a disaster area and simple trespass, according to the department.

At least 80 people have been cited by DOCARE and Hawaii Police Department officers since the eruption began in early May.

Penalties, if convicted, can be fines as high as $5,000 and up to a year in jail, the department said.