Hilo man charged after Kailua-Kona hotel bust uncovers gun, cocaine, cash

A child-neglect call at a Kailua-Kona hotel escalated into a firearms and cocaine case that now has a Hilo man facing six criminal counts and $120,000 bail. Hawaii Island police say officers found a wandering toddler in the parking lot, then discovered 11 more unsupervised children. What began as a welfare response on Palani Road quickly turned into a major public-safety investigation.

Police said the case started about 12:42 a.m. June 3 at a hotel in the 75-5600 block of Palani Road. Officers determined the 12 children belonged to two couples, and all four parents were arrested for second-degree reckless endangering. Hotel staff later entered the room rented by the adults and found a firearm, prompting police to secure the room and seek a search warrant.

Detectives with the Hawai‘i Police Department Area II Criminal Investigation Section later executed that warrant and recovered a loaded firearm, about 440 grams of cocaine, nearly 1 pound, and a large amount of cash. Steven Campos, 32, of Hilo was subsequently charged with ownership or possession prohibited, for the firearm, ownership or possession prohibited, for the ammunition, possession of a prohibited weapon, for a high-capacity magazine, manufacturing, purchasing or obtaining firearm parts to assemble a firearm having no serial number, first-degree promoting a dangerous drug, and first-degree attempted promoting a dangerous drug.

Campos’ bail was set at $120,000. His initial court appearance is scheduled for July 2 in Hilo District Court. The other three adults were later released after posting bail.

The arrest underscores how quickly a child-safety call can reveal a broader public-safety threat, especially when illegal weapons and cocaine surface in the same hotel room. It also highlights the way Hawaii Island police are using routine patrol responses, hotel staff reports and follow-up detective work to move from a neglect complaint to a felony narcotics and firearms case.

Anyone with information about the investigation is asked to contact Detective Roberto Segobia of the Area II Criminal Investigation Section at 808-326-4646, extension 228.