Hawaii Island police nab 19 for suspected DUI

Hawaii Island police arrested 19 motorists for suspected drunken driving Jan. 1 and Sunday. Five of the drivers were involved in traffic crashes.

Kona officers arrested 11 drivers while South Hilo officers arrested five and Puna officers three, according to data released Thursday by the Hawaii Police Department.

So far this year, there have been 19 DUI arrests compared with seven during the same period last year, according to police.

There have been five major accidents so far this year compared with 13 during the same period last year.

No fatalities have been recorded on Hawaii Island’s public roadways this, police said. By this time in 2019, one person had perished.