Lawsuit: Hawaii Sheriff Deputies Arrested on Charges Trumped-up by own Department—Top Brass infighting led to suicide of Deputy
by Andrew Walden
Did top brass of the state’s newly-minted Department of Law Enforcement arrest several of their own deputies on trumped-up charges just to retaliate against the number three man in the State Sheriff Division, First Deputy Lanikoa Dobrowolsky?
That’s the allegation in a lawsuit filed July 28, 2025 by whistleblower Deputy Martin Horton.
(PDF: Horton v Hawaii DPS 1CVV-25-0001235.)
In early 2024, Horton filed internal complaints over what he saw as racial and sexual harassment by fellow deputies. In his suit, Horton alleges Wayne Ibarra of DLE’s Criminal Investigations Division (CID) did not take his allegations seriously but instead attempted to “use” Horton “as a pawn…to hedge against Dobrowolsky ….”
Ibarra, now a candidate for Honolulu Police Chief, did not respond to an emailed request for comment.
Dobrowolsky, the top civil service employee in the Sheriff Division, had filed suit June 11, 2024, challenging a years-long pattern of retaliation stemming from his role—revealed in the lawsuit—as the 2016 whistleblower who exposed the fraudulent credentials of chief Training Officer J. Marte Martinez of what was then called the Department of Public Safety (DPS). Dobrowolsky alleges that top brass at DPS/DLE were illegally made aware of his supposedly ‘protected’ role as whistleblower.
(PDF: Dobrowolsky v Hawaii 1CCV-24-0000771)
DPS' failure to terminate Martinez in 2016 created a cascading series of ever-larger coverups.
DPS and several other state law enforcement operations were merged into the newly-created DLE on January 1, 2024.
Martinez was arrested April 7, 2022, by investigators from the State Attorney General’s Office. DPS Director Nolan Espinda retired Oct 1, 2020, and committed suicide May 19, 2022.
That’s not the only suicide in this story.
Akamai readers will remember the events from last summer:
--2024 June 11: Dobrowolsky lawsuit filed
--2024 June 12: Sex harassment suit targets high-ranking state law enforcement officials -- Former Deputy Director William Oku Junior is accused of making lewd comments about female coworkers and exposing himself while on duty in 2022. He has since retired. First Deputy Sheriff Lanikoa Dobrowolsky filed the civil lawsuit Tuesday, which also accuses current DLE Director Jordan Lowe of ignoring Oku’s behavior and ignoring complaints about it. Dobrowolsky says because he expressed concern, supervisors retaliated, hindering pay raises and promotions.
--2024 June 25: 8 Hawaii Sheriff's Deputies Are Now On Leave As Harassment And Other Investigations Unfold
--2024 June 27: Mahealani Richardson: Three deputy sheriffs arrested, 9 on paid leave amid criminal probes
--2024 June 29: Mahealani Richardson: Deputy sheriff who was target of alleged harassment by colleagues says he fears for his safety
--2024 July 1: ‘You’re Nothing!’: Hawaii Black Cop Was Belittled and Racially Bullied By Colleagues, Leading to Four Officers Arrested, Nine Others Placed on Paid Leave
--2024 July 4: New details revealed about allegations in harassment case against deputy sheriffs
--2024 August 29: Deputy Killed Himself after Threats from Investigators Over Minor Homeless Hassle -- Deputy Jordan J Kagehiro and four other sheriff’s deputies were placed on restriction of police authority June 10, with “no mention of what we are being accused of, till this day still nothing,” according to the profanity laced email from one of the suspended deputies, Raul Rodriguez, that was obtained by the Star-Advertiser.
PDF: Email from Dep Raul Rodriguez
-- 2025 January 15: DLE Director Jordan Lowe ‘retires’.
Within days of Dobrowolsky filing suit, deputies who had nothing to do with it were arrested and/or investigated over allegations of racial harassment at the Airport and legislature and over an allegedly missing ‘use-of-force’ report for a homeless nuisance call at the Legislature—all allegedly ginned up by CID.
Allegedly, the arrests and investigations were all part of a convoluted scheme to turn the target deputies against Dobrowolsky. Horton’s lawsuit allegations fill in the blanks:
9. On June 5, 2023, PSD hired MR. HORTON, an African-American male, as a Deputy Sheriff I Recruit….
11. Between December 18, 2023, and March 11, 2024, while assigned to Sheriff Division, Capitol Patrol at 415 S. Beretania Street, Honolulu, Hawaii, MR. HORTON was subjected to severe discriminatory harassment by multiple deputies….
19. On March 12, 2024, when the Criminal Investigation Division (“CID”) interviewed MR. HORTON about his experience at the Capitol, he reported the aforementioned offensive, misogynistic, discriminatory culture and the harassment and hostile work environment….
22. Beginning in March 2024, Wayne Ibarra from CID initiated contact with MR. HORTON for what MR. HORTON believed was a routine interview regarding workplace issues.
23. During their first interview on March 11, 2024, Ibarra told MR. HORTON that "supervisors and command can't know" about the interview, creating an atmosphere of secrecy and manipulation.
24. At this first interview, one of the first questions Ibarra asked MR. HORTON was about First Deputy Lanikoa Dobrowolsky's comments when he visited the academy.
25. This revealed that targeting Dobrowolsky, who unbeknownst to MR. HORTON had filed a lawsuit against the DLE and two of its top officials, Jordan Lowe and William Oku, for civil rights violations, was a primary objective from the beginning.
26. Ibarra established what MR. HORTON describes as a "rapport" and, based on his comments and conduct, positioned himself as someone looking out for MR. HORTON 's best interests, when in reality Ibarra was manipulating MR. HORTON to advance his and apparently DLE’s agenda against Dobrowolsky.
27. On July 8, 2024, Ibarra told MR. HORTON that Dobrowolsky wanted to warn him about his firearm, causing MR. HORTON to become concerned about his and his family's safety and wonder who was watching them.
28. This information caused MR. HORTON to enter what he described as a "paranoid state" because he wondered why Dobrowolsky was using CID to get a warning to him and whether Dobrowolsky was using CID as a "weapon against" him.
29. When MR. HORTON expressed concerns about this conduct, Ibarra indicated they would investigate and find out why Dobrowolsky was watching him.
30. After MR. HORTON spoke with Detective Christopher Schmitt by phone, Ibarra and Schmitt came to Kapolei and took MR. HORTON to a remote location at the former Barbers Point, where they questioned him about what he knew about Dobrowolsky.
31. During this remote interrogation, Ibarra and Schmitt shared with MR. HORTON that Dobrowolsky possibly belonged to a motorcycle gang or social club that might have connections to racist organizations.
32. To demonstrate what he claimed was the seriousness of Dobrowolsky's behavior, Ibarra searched what appeared to be Dobrowolsky's Facebook page and showed MR. HORTON photographs of Dobrowolsky with other motorcycle gang members dressed in their gang's jackets.
33. Ibarra shared this information to make MR. HORTON feel that Dobrowolsky and his associates were racist bikers who could target him or his family, which made MR. HORTON feel even more concerned and reinforced his dependence on Ibarra for protection.
34. On July 10, 2024, Ibarra encouraged MR. HORTON to reach out to Hawaii News Now (HNN) and explained that media coverage of the allegations against Dobrowolsky would give "more weight" to CID's pursuit of Dobrowolsky.
35. This was against DLE policy as Deputies are not allowed to speak to the media without informing and seeking formal approval from the DLE.
36. Ibarra told MR. HORTON that he had informed DLE Director Lowe and DLE Deputy Director Jared Redulla about the Dobrowolsky allegations, but that Lowe and Redulla were "blowing off" his comments about MR. HORTON, saying things like "This guy again?" or "Him again?"
37. Ibarra's told MR. HORTON that if the allegations about Dobrowolsky were publicized, Lowe and Redulla would have to pursue the issue and investigate.
38. Ibarra specifically told MR. HORTON that if he mentioned that Ibarra encouraged him to go to the media, Ibarra would deny it.
39. Without MR. HORTON 's consent, Ibarra provided MR. HORTON 's phone number to HNN reporter Mahealani Richardson.
40. On July 10, 2024, Ibarra sent MR. HORTON a text stating "It will actually make our case against Dobrowolsky much stronger," revealing that Ibarra was using MR. HORTON's allegations to build a case against the First Deputy.
41. Ibarra persistently pressured MR. HORTON to share more information with the media about Dobrowolsky, sending urgent text messages about getting stories aired, including one stating that "Brenda Salgado has been informed of the need to have your story about the harassment that First Deputy Dobrowolsky is doing to you aired this week."
42. In fact. MR. HORTON came to find out Dobrowolsky had not been and had no intention of harassing MR. HORTON. It was all contrived by Ibarra.
43. On July 16, 2024, Ibarra sent MR. HORTON pages from Dobrowolsky's lawsuit, revealing for the first time that Dobrowolsky had filed suit against DLE.
44. Ibarra told MR. HORTON that Lowe did not want to arrest Dobrowolsky, but would restrict his police powers, leading MR. HORTON to believe there was a "propensity to cover up, to conceal" when it affected higher-ranking officers.
45. MR. HORTON came to understand that Dobrowolsky's lawsuit was the reason a lot of things were happening" and some information was shared with him, and that rather than protecting MR. HORTON, Ibarra was trying to counter anything Dobrowolsky brought forth in his lawsuit and try to discredit Dobrowolsky.
46. MR. HORTON realized that he was not really the focus of Ibarra's concern, but rather that he was being used against Dobrowolsky.
47. MR. HORTON began to realize he was being used after he learned about Deputy Jordan Kagehiro's suicide on August 26, 2024.
48. After Kagehiro's death, MR. HORTON felt that he was a pawn who was manipulated into believing CID was looking out for his interests, when their real interest was to hedge themselves against Dobrowolsky and his suit.
49. MR. HORTON came to understand that he had been manipulated and used as a pawn in a chess game to advance Ibarra's agenda against Dobrowolsky.
50. MR. HORTON realized that he would never have gone to the media but for the fact that Ibarra suggested it and indicated that Lowe and Redulla were "not willing to pursue anything."
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COVERAGE