THE DEPARTMENT OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL ARRESTS THREE SEX OFFENDERS DURING REGISTRY COMPLIANCE OPERATION

News Release 2026-44 from Department of the Attorney General, July 8, 2026

HONOLULU – The Hawaiʻi Department of the Attorney General’s Investigations Division Sex Offender Registry Team, working alongside federal, state and county law enforcement partners, arrested three convicted sex offenders during a three-day compliance operation on Hawaiʻi Island. The operation was aimed at ensuring registered sex offenders comply with state registration requirements.

The operation, conducted in the Kona area last week, was supported by the United States Marshals Service, the Department of Law Enforcement, the Hawaiʻi Police Department and the Hawaiʻi County Prosecutor’s Office.

Investigators conducted compliance checks on multiple registered sex offenders who had been identified as potentially out of compliance with Hawaiʻi’s Sex Offender Registry requirements. As a result of the operation, several individuals were brought back into compliance and three adult males were arrested for allegedly failing to comply with Hawaiʻi’s sex offender registry laws.

The three men who were arrested were Joseph Debus, 56, of Kailua-Kona, Garth Coleman, 53, of Holualoa and Alexsandr Skelcey, 34, of Kailua-Kona.

“Sex offender registration requirements exist to protect our communities and ensure law enforcement knows where convicted offenders are living,” said Tom Alipio, chief of the Department of the Attorney General’s Investigations Division. “Compliance operations like this send a clear message that we will actively monitor the registry, investigate violations and work closely with our law enforcement partners to hold offenders accountable when they fail to meet their legal obligations."

“Operations like this allow us to verify that offenders are maintaining strict compliance with registration laws and those who aren’t will be addressed immediately. We will continue to leverage these multi-agency partnerships to keep our island communities safe,” said Hawaiʻi Police Chief Reed Mahuna.

The three men are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Members of the public can look up publicly available offender information and subscribe to notifications through Hawaiʻi Sex Offender and Other Covered Offender Registry.

Anyone with information regarding a registered sex offender who may be violating registration requirements is encouraged to contact the Department of the Attorney General’s Investigation Division at 808-586-1240 or their local law enforcement.

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HTH: Three West Hawaii sex offenders arrested - Hawaii Tribune-Herald