Ocean View man pleads not guilty in deadly Old Kona Airport crash
Janne Labin pleaded not guilty after a fatal Old Kona Airport crash that police say involved speeds up to 80 mph and left a 59-year-old man dead.
A Kailua-Kona case that has sharpened concern about pedestrian safety at Old Kona Airport Park has entered the court system with a not-guilty plea from Ocean View resident Janne Labin, 24. Prosecutors say Labin was driving a white 2017 Toyota Tacoma when it left the paved roadway and crossed onto an unfinished gravel area, where it struck 59-year-old Donald Tibbitts.
Labin was indicted by a Kona grand jury on June 17 on charges of manslaughter, first-degree negligent homicide and DUI. Hawaii Police said the crash happened at 7:28 p.m. on May 30, and Tibbitts later died of his injuries on June 4 at The Queen’s Medical Center in Honolulu. Court documents describe Tibbitts as a Kailua-Kona man with no permanent address.
Witness accounts have pushed the case beyond a routine traffic prosecution and into questions about speed, visibility and enforcement around the county park. Police documents say one witness estimated the Tacoma was traveling about 80 mph, while another put it near 60 mph and said it was throwing dust and gravel before impact. Investigators also reported that an officer smelled a strong odor of alcohol on Labin’s breath, and court records note that blood was drawn at Kona Community Hospital.
The case also has an added layer of accountability because Labin’s driving history was already under scrutiny. Court documents say his license was under administrative review and that he had prior traffic offenses, including an earlier drunken-driving suspension and multiple speeding citations. Those details are likely to shape how prosecutors frame the case if it goes to trial on the charged offenses.
Old Kona Airport Beach Park, built on the site of the former Kona airport runway, is one of West Hawaii’s most heavily used shoreline parks, with parking and access stretching along the old runway frontage near the beach. The adjacent Old Kona Airport marine life conservation district covers 217 acres and was established in 1992, underscoring how much recreational traffic and pedestrian activity share the same area where the fatal crash occurred.
The collision comes against a grim island-wide traffic backdrop. In May, Mayor Kimo Alameda said Hawaii Island had recorded 13 traffic fatalities by May 19, including eight in the previous two weeks, adding urgency to calls for safer driving on roads and in public spaces where people on foot are especially vulnerable. Labin is scheduled to return to court on Oct. 20, and the felony charges could carry substantial prison exposure if proven.
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