Falsely arrested by their own Department?  A year later, some Sheriff Deputies return to duty

by Andrew Walden

Justice is coming slowly for Hawaii State Sheriff Deputies who, some say, were falsely arrested by their own department.

In June, 2024, several sheriff deputies were placed on paid leave and four were arrested over charges of racial and sexual harassment and a separate use-of force complaint regarding a homeless person at a 7/11 near the legislature.

One suspended Deputy, Jordan J Kagehiro, committed suicide August 29, 2024.

In a lawsuit filed July 28, 2025, whistleblower Deputy Martin Horton alleges top brass of the state’s newly-minted Department of Law Enforcement (DLE) trumped-up charges against the Deputies as part of a convoluted scheme to retaliate against the number three man in the State Sheriff Division, First Deputy Lanikoa Dobrowolsky.

Horton had been the source of some of the complaints.

READ MORE: Lawsuit: Hawaii Sheriff Deputies Arrested on Charges Trumped-up by own Department—Top Brass infighting led to suicide of Deputy

Will deputies be filing a civil suit?

Interviewed by Hawai’i Free Press, Attorney Megan Kau, who represents several of the deputies, explains: “(Former top DLE officials) Jordan Lowe and Wayne Ibarra failed follow protocol, failed to adhere to constitutional rights and violated many people's rights and they're going to have to pay for it.  The state is going to have to pay for their mistakes.”

Several suspended deputies were reinstated in July.

Why now?  Kau says, “The old (Lowe) administration sat on that investigation for a very long time.  My understanding is they had unofficial discussions with a deputy attorney general, but there was no official conferral with the state attorney general's office.

“When (newly appointed DLE Director) Mike Lambert came in, (February 1, 2025), he assigned a top attorney general, a supervisor in charge of a division to investigate whether … criminal charges (were justified)….” 

Sources inform Hawai’i Free Press that Lowe, ousted from DLE by Governor Green in January, 2025, landed a cush job at the State Department of Transportation.  Ibarra hasn’t been so lucky.  He has become the target of complaints regarding a fight with a fellow Deputy, August 19, 2024, at the Waianae Small Boat Harbor, and an alleged, May 6, 2025, hit and run accident in Kapolei.  Bizarrely, he is now applying to become Honolulu Police Chief.  (See: DOCUMENTS.)

What about the remaining suspended deputies?

Hawai’i Free Press received this response from the Office of the Director:

“Employee privacy interests and collective bargaining agreement provisions prevent the department from giving information for actions relating to an employee’s misconduct or discipline.  We can confirm that the status for the 7-11 incident is an active, open investigation.”

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BACKGROUND: Lawsuit: Hawaii Sheriff Deputies Arrested on Charges Trumped-up by own Department—Top Brass infighting led to suicide of Deputy