Honokaa man faces 10 charges after two high-speed police chases

A 26-year-old Honokaa man is facing 10 charges after prosecutors say he twice drove at more than 100 mph on North Hawaii roadways, including one run that reached 111 mph in a 50 mph zone and 117 mph in a 45 mph zone on Highway 190 before the same vehicle was later clocked at 114 mph in a 45 mph zone on Highway 19.

Nicholas Andreoni made his initial appearance Friday morning, June 5, in Kona District Court. His bail was increased from $12,000 to $200,000, and he was ordered to return June 9 for a preliminary hearing. Prosecutors charged him with two counts each of first-degree resisting an order to stop a motor vehicle, excessive speeding for exceeding the speed limit by 30 mph or more, excessive speeding for driving 80 mph or more, driving while license canceled, suspended or revoked, and reckless driving of vehicle.

Police say the first incident involved a Ford Escape measured at 111 mph in a 50 mph zone and 117 mph in a 45 mph zone on Highway 190. Officers say the driver then fled by turning off the vehicle’s headlights. About 25 minutes later, the same vehicle was allegedly observed again at 114 mph in a 45 mph zone on Highway 19, a stretch that ties directly into the broader Honokaa and North Hawaii corridor where long highway runs, heavy commuter traffic and changing weather can magnify the danger of a bad decision at the wheel.

The most serious count, first-degree resisting an order to stop a motor vehicle, is a Class C felony under Hawaii law. The statute, enacted in 2016, applies when a driver intentionally fails to stop while fleeing in reckless disregard of others’ safety or while speeding 30 mph over the limit or 80 mph or more. Prosecutors say the charge carries up to five years in prison or four years of probation and up to one year in jail.

The case arrives as county and police leaders are pushing harder on dangerous driving. In a May 21 statement, Mayor Kimo Alameda called the rise in fatalities a “public safety emergency” and said Hawaii Island had recorded 13 traffic deaths as of May 19, including eight in the prior two weeks. Hawaii Police Department data released in October 2025 showed more than 9,200 speeding citations year-to-date, 63 incidents over 100 mph and a significant majority of excessive-speed citations and arrests on Daniel K. Inouye Highway. On June 4, HPD said it was significantly increasing selective enforcement operations along the highway, underscoring how quickly high-speed driving on island roads can turn into a criminal case rather than a traffic stop.