Woman reported missing wanted on arrest warrant

A 42-year-old Puna woman who is the subject of a missing person investigation has an unserved warrant for her arrest, police confirmed.

Monica Marie Haltom was reported missing in November, and police reissued a bulletin Friday seeking leads on her whereabouts.

Police Lt. Rio Amon-Wilkins of the Hilo Criminal Investigations Section said a bench warrant issued March 12, 2020, for Haltom’s arrest remains in effect.

Court records indicate that Haltom, who was on four years of felony probation for a 2019 conviction for unauthorized control of a stolen vehicle, failed to appear for an Aug. 8, 2019, proof of compliance hearing.

After she failed to show up for court-ordered mental health and substance abuse assessments at the Big Island Substance Abuse Council in December 2019, a motion to revoke her probation was filed on March 11, 2020. A bench warrant for her arrest, setting her bail at $2,000, was issued the following day.

According to Amon-Wilkins, Haltom remains on the island, and police have talked to her on the phone.

“She told a detective she wouldn’t turn herself in because she doesn’t want to go to jail,” Amon-Wilkins said.

Amon-Wilkins said the missing person investigation was opened in November because Haltom’s mother, who is on the mainland, reported her missing.

“We have to keep the missing person investigation open until we see her in person,” Amon-Wilkins said. “It’s not enough that somebody tells us they’ve seen her. We have to see her with our own eyes.”

Haltom is described as 5-foot-4 inches tall, 160 pounds, with brown hair and green eyes. She’s known to frequent the Pahoa town and Nanawale Estates areas.

Anyone with information about Haltom’s whereabouts is asked to call the police department’s nonemergency line at (808) 935-3311 or to contact Detective Scotty Aloy at (808) 961-2381 or via email at Scotty.Aloy@hawaiicounty.gov.

Those who prefer to remain anonymous may call Crime Stoppers at (808) 961-8300.