Published on March 19, 2024
KŌLOA – Police arrested Jason Mearns, a 49-year-old man in connection with an incident that involved animal cruelty and assault.
On Mar. 17, at approximately 12 p.m., officers responded to a residence on Eke Road in Kōloa after it was reported that a dog had been strangled to death. According to a preliminary police report, a 35-year-old male resident of Kōloa was inside his residence when he heard a loud noise coming from where his dog was kept outside. Upon exiting the residence, the 35-year-old man found Mearns lifting his dog off the ground by its chain. According to statements obtained at the scene, an argument ensued which resulted in the 35-year-old man sustaining an abrasion to his left forearm and multiple scrapes and bruises. The dog, a 3-year-old terrier mix, was already dead when officers arrived.
Mearns was arrested for the offense of Cruelty to Animals in the First Degree and Assault in the Third Degree. Mearns’s bail is set at $20,000 and he has been transferred to Judiciary for arraignment.
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