Hawaii Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Alerts
ADVISORY - Hawaii DCR Alert - KCCC inmate escapee struck by vehicle in alleged hit-and-run
3/22/2024 - 10:38 AM
KAUA'I — Inmate Matthew J. Ornellas Jr. sustained injuries in an alleged hit-and-run shortly after his escape from the Kaua‘i Community Correctional Center (KCCC) early Friday, March 22, 2024.
Ornellas, 33, escaped from the facility just after 1 a.m. today. Shortly before 1:10 a.m., correctional officers located him on Kūhiō Highway, approximately 100 yards northeast of KCCC, with serious injuries.
It appeared that a dark-colored vehicle traveling on the highway toward Līhuʻe struck Ornellas. The driver of the vehicle failed to stop to render aid and was last seen making a U-turn toward Kapa‘a.
Officers immediately called 911 and Kauaʻi police arrived at the scene. He was taken by ambulance to the Wilcox Medical Center.
Ornellas is serving time for promoting a dangerous drug in the third-degree, a class C felony.
Police reports have been filed for the escape and alleged hit-and-run.
The Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (DCR) has initiated an investigation into the matter, as standard procedure.
Ornellas, 33, escaped from the facility just after 1 a.m. today. Shortly before 1:10 a.m., correctional officers located him on Kūhiō Highway, approximately 100 yards northeast of KCCC, with serious injuries.
It appeared that a dark-colored vehicle traveling on the highway toward Līhuʻe struck Ornellas. The driver of the vehicle failed to stop to render aid and was last seen making a U-turn toward Kapa‘a.
Officers immediately called 911 and Kauaʻi police arrived at the scene. He was taken by ambulance to the Wilcox Medical Center.
Ornellas is serving time for promoting a dangerous drug in the third-degree, a class C felony.
Police reports have been filed for the escape and alleged hit-and-run.
The Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (DCR) has initiated an investigation into the matter, as standard procedure.