OFFICERS CHARGED IN VEGAS POT CASE PUT ON LEAVE

The Honolulu Police Department has placed two officers on
administrative leave following charges of marijuana possession in Las
Vegas last month.

HPD is conducting an investigation of officer Kevin Fujioka, 37, a
patrol officer assigned to the Pearl City district who has worked
with the department for 13 years, and of officer Shayne Souza, 47, a
SWAT officer who has been with the department for 20 years.

Meanwhile, the officers are tentatively scheduled to appear in Clark
County District Court on Oct. 15 and Nov. 18.

On Aug. 15, Clark County police approached the men, who were in a
white van parked across two stalls in a parking lot. The van fled,
and a short pursuit occurred when Fujioka and Souza exited the
vehicle and ran. Police subdued Souza with pepper spray after he
resisted arrest.

Both officers and Scott Wilson, a 38-year-old social worker from
Honolulu, were charged with marijuana possession. Fujioka was also
charged with driving under the influence of a narcotic, and Souza was
also charged with drug paraphernalia possession.

Fujioka and Souza were off duty while they were in Las Vegas. Both
were in the city to participate in the 2009 Nevada Police & Fire
Games. Still, the Police Department's policy prohibits illicit drug use.