A lawsuit filed by four state sheriff deputies accuses the state and two former Department of Law Enforcement (DLE) leaders of “illegally” arresting them in an effort to counter accusations in a separate civil lawsuit brought by a commander.
The deputies—William Gary, 46; William K. Keahi, 40; Erich R. Mitamura, 40; and Alvin Turla, 47—filed a 15-page civil complaint on Tuesday in Oahu Circuit Court. The four were arrested between June 18 and June 27, 2024, on suspicion of misdemeanor harassment linked to allegations made by an African American sheriff’s deputy.
The initial arrest came just one week after DLE leadership faced accusations in a separate civil lawsuit filed by a top commander who alleged that reports of sexual harassment and violations of policy by deputies were ignored. Although Gary, Keahi, Mitamura, and Turla were arrested, they were never charged. The case against them was subsequently closed, their law enforcement powers were reinstated, and all returned to full duty.
“My clients want everyone to know that they are innocent. They should not have been arrested,” said their attorney Megan K. Kau in an interview with the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. “I don’t think people understand that when you get arrested, it is one of the most stressful things you can experience. And when you have been arrested illegally—there was no probable cause to make the arrest because they were not crimes.”
Kau emphasized that this was an administrative matter that should have been handled internally. “Police officers are held to a higher standard, and all the news covers it. These guys were never charged but the stain doesn’t go away,” she added.
The lawsuit claims the four deputies suffered from “mental worry, anxiety, anguish, suffering, and grief.” It holds the state liable for the “negligent infliction of emotional distress” and seeks unspecified damages at trial.
According to the complaint, former DLE Director Jordan Lowe and Chief Investigator Wayne Ibarra used the investigation into the harassment allegations as a means to attack the reputation of the African American deputy who was suing Lowe and other DLE officials.
This legal battle ties back to a prior lawsuit filed on June 11, 2024, by First Deputy Lanikoa “Koa” Dobrowolsky. Dobrowolsky accused Lowe and DLE leadership of ignoring reports of sexual harassment and misconduct by sheriff’s deputies. He also alleges that he was passed over for promotions due to his whistle-blowing efforts and claims the state and DLE officials retaliated against him by creating a hostile work environment.
Discovery and depositions in Dobrowolsky’s case are ongoing, with a settlement conference scheduled for July 7.
Kau stated that Lowe allegedly directed Ibarra and others to “illegally arrest” the four deputies and launched criminal investigations against other sheriffs as a strategy to defend against Dobrowolsky’s allegations. Instead of properly investigating claims of racial harassment, officials reportedly manipulated the former deputy into believing he was the target of a conspiracy.
“Administrative issues were brought to Lowe’s attention and he did nothing about it,” Kau said, drawing parallels to the case of former deputy prosecutor Katherine Kealoha, who misused her power to prosecute adversaries.
“He’s (Lowe) been sued personally, so he abuses and uses his power to create a potential defense for himself where he will gain,” Kau added. “If he was not in the position of power he was in, he could not have arrested these people.”
Since early 2024, about a dozen of Hawaii’s nearly 300 state deputy sheriffs have had their law enforcement powers restricted amid arrests and internal investigations into alleged misconduct.
Five deputy sheriffs were arrested in 2024—four connected to the harassment investigation involving the African American deputy and a fifth who was accused of pulling a weapon on a fisherman while off duty. That charge was also dropped, and the deputy was cleared of any wrongdoing and returned to full duty.
https://www.staradvertiser.com/2025/10/17/hawaii-news/sheriff-deputies-sue-state-after-illegal-arrests/