Keaau Man Arrested After Bomb Threat Closes Post Office, Nearby Businesses

A midday bomb threat at the Keaʻau Shopping Center post office shut down businesses along Old Volcano Road and forced evacuations across the commercial strip Monday, after a Volcano man allegedly left a package at the counter, told an employee it contained a bomb, and walked out the door on foot.

Erick Smith, 43, of Volcano was arrested March 31 and faces a charge of first-degree terroristic threatening. According to the Hawai'i Police Department, Smith entered the post office near Old Volcano Road around midday, made the threat directly to a counter employee, then left the area. Officers secured the scene, evacuated the post office and surrounding businesses, and called in bomb-technician units to examine the package.

Old Volcano Road was closed between Highway 11 and Keaʻau-Pāhoa Road while the response was underway, cutting off one of Puna's primary commercial corridors during the afternoon hours. For tenants and customers at the Keaʻau Shopping Center, that closure carried real cost: businesses locked their doors, transactions stalled, and the postal services that connect rural Puna households to medications, benefits checks and parcels were suspended mid-shift.

No improvised explosive device was found. Bomb technicians cleared the package, and the area was reopened after the threat was determined to be unfounded. The incident also triggered school closures and brief community alarm across Puna and Keaʻau. Local media tracked police updates throughout the afternoon as officials urged residents and motorists to stay clear while investigators worked.

The response drew notice for its speed: law enforcement secured the scene, coordinated with specialized units and communicated with the public quickly enough to contain the disruption before it spread further into Puna's afternoon traffic.

Detectives from the Area I Criminal Investigation Section are continuing follow-up as the investigation remains active. Prosecutors will determine formal charges and next steps as the case moves through the criminal justice system. The arrest began with a single postal employee making an immediate report, a detail investigators are likely to emphasize as the case proceeds.