KAILUA-KONA — A 29-year-old man is in police custody Friday afternoon after allegedly entering multiple homes in Kailua-Kona.
Shortly after 9 a.m. Friday, officers with the Hawaii Police Department’s Kona Patrol Unit responded to a Puia Street residence to learn that the man had entered at least two homes in the area.
In the first home, police say the suspect encountered three residents, including a 4-year-old boy. The man reportedly picked up the child before being fended off by the adult occupants, according to police. The suspect then fled and entered a second occupied home on the same street.
Police said no items were removed from either of the homes. In addition, the child that the man allegedly picked up was not harmed.
Responding officers were able to locate the suspect in the yard of a third home. Police took the man, a Kailua-Kona resident identified as Matthew Mitsis, into custody on suspicious of several offenses, including first-degree burglary.
Detectives from the Area II Criminal Investigations Division are continuing the investigation, according to the department, which noted charges have yet to be filed.
Anyone with information regarding the incident should contact Detective David Matsushima at (808) 326-4646, ext. 224, david.matsushima@hawaiicounty.gov.