A 12-year veteran of the Maui Police Department was arrested Monday on a $150,000 warrant charging him with six felony sexual assault counts, more than a year after he was first taken into custody on a related allegation. Devin Schoeppner, 49, of Kahului, was booked on four counts of second-degree sexual assault and two counts of third-degree sexual assault, according to department officials.
Schoeppner's arrest on Monday marks the formal culmination of an investigation that began in May 2025, when he was first arrested on suspicion of first-degree sexual assault, as reported by Maui Now. At that time, police released him pending further investigation and placed him on administrative leave rather than filing immediate charges, a step consistent with how Hawaii law enforcement often builds a case before formal prosecution.
First-degree sexual assault under Hawaii Revised Statutes § 707-730, the charge tied to Schoeppner's original 2025 arrest, is a Class A felony carrying up to 20 years in prison without the possibility of probation. The second-degree counts he now faces are Class B felonies under HRS § 707-731, each punishable by up to 10 years in prison and fines as high as $25,000, while the third-degree counts fall under HRS § 707-732 as Class C felonies carrying up to five years behind bars and fines of up to $10,000.
A Statute Built for Cases of Official Abuse
Hawaii's sexual assault statutes specifically address situations where a law enforcement officer knowingly subjects someone stopped, held in custody, or accompanied for official purposes to non-consensual sexual penetration or contact, per the language found in HRS §§ 707-731 and 707-732. It remains an open question whether the allegations against Schoeppner occurred while he was on duty, and Maui police have not said whether additional victims or administrative complaints exist.
The department confirmed it removed Schoeppner's credentials and service weapon pending the outcome of the investigation and placed him on administrative leave following his initial 2025 arrest. Maui Police Chief John Pelletier addressed the case directly, stating that any department employee who violates the law will be held accountable. Pelletier said the department will not tolerate conduct that violates the law, abuses public trust, or brings discredit upon the department.
Maui police say the investigation is ongoing and that no further information is available at this time. As is standard practice, the department noted that anyone arrested is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Long Career, Now Under Scrutiny
Schoeppner's tenure with the department stretches back well over a decade; in November 2021, he testified in Wailuku District Court as an active MPD officer during a preliminary hearing involving a driver accused of hitting a fellow officer with a stolen truck, according to the Maui News. That history places his current charges against the backdrop of a long operational record within the department.
The case also lands amid mounting strain on MPD's ranks. Budget reporting in April revealed the department's vacancy rate had climbed past 25%, with more than 140 open officer positions departmentwide, according to Maui Now's coverage of the department's budget request.
Part of a Wider Pattern of Scrutiny
Schoeppner's case is not an isolated one for MPD this year. Federal authorities arrested Maui Police Lieutenant Michael Vaituʻulala on public corruption charges last month following a months-long investigation tied to a New Year's Eve illegal fireworks scandal, as Hoodline previously reported. And in January 2025, a federal grand jury indicted former MPD officer Carlos Frate on civil rights and obstruction charges after he allegedly used a Taser on a civilian without justification and falsified a police report, a case Hoodline also covered at the time.
Pelletier took over as chief in late 2021 amid public debate over administrative transparency and officer morale within the department, according to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. The Schoeppner case now stands as the latest test of that reform effort, arriving alongside separate proceedings involving other officers and continuing staffing shortages across the department.
