Hawaii Island police are asking the public for help locating a 64-year-old Waimea man wanted on two outstanding arrest warrants tied to an alleged jewelry store theft, with bail set at a combined $105,000. Christopher Wright stands 6 feet 1 inch tall, weighs about 160 pounds, and has a thin build with brown hair and brown eyes, according to the description police have circulated.
The warrants stem from a grand jury indictment handed down on September 21 on felony theft and second-degree burglary charges connected to an alleged jewelry heist at Mountain Gold Jewelers, a store located along Akoni Pule Highway in Waimea within the South Kohala district, according to Big Island Now. As Hawaii News Now reports, Wright is also wanted for questioning in connection with a separate criminal investigation, though authorities have not detailed what that inquiry involves.
The case is being logged by the Hawaiʻi Police Department under Area II Criminal Investigation Section Report Number 26-041956, supervised by Lieutenant David Poʻohina, per the department's public notice on its website. Second-degree burglary in Hawaii is classified as a Class C felony under Hawaii Revised Statutes § 708-811, defined as entering or remaining unlawfully in a building with intent to commit a crime against persons or property rights, a designation that generally carries a potential prison term of up to five years.
Wright's Range Spans Dozens of Miles of Rural Terrain
Investigators say Wright is known to frequent Waikoloa Village, Kawaihae, Waimea, and Hawaiian Ocean View Estates — a stretch of Hawaii Island that covers more than 70 miles of largely rural terrain, from South Kohala down into Kaʻū, per the department's notice. That geographic spread complicates efforts to track him down, since the listed communities sit far apart from one another across the island's western and southern coasts.
The department has also reminded the public that harboring or concealing a wanted person can carry criminal consequences. Under Hawaii Revised Statutes §§ 710-1029 and 710-1030, intentionally hiding or aiding a fugitive to obstruct law enforcement is charged as hindering prosecution, itself a Class C felony when the person being shielded is wanted for a felony offense — a warning police routinely attach to island fugitive bulletins.
Detective Leading the Search Has Property Crime Background
The case has been assigned to Detective Chandler Nacino, a nine-year veteran of the Hawaiʻi Police Department who was promoted to detective in May 2023 after serving in the Area II Vice Section and Area II Juvenile Aid Section, among 14 officers promoted during a department ceremony that month. Nacino previously earned Officer of the Month honors for July 2020 from the Kona Crime Prevention Committee for apprehending a vehicle break-in suspect in Kona and recovering stolen property for seven victims, a case that showcased his earlier work on property crimes in West Hawaii.
Anyone with information about Wright's whereabouts is asked to contact Nacino at (808) 326-4646, extension 3297, or by email at [email protected]. Tipsters can also reach the Hawaii Police Department's non-emergency line at (808) 935-3311, or submit anonymous tips through Crime Stoppers at (808) 961-8300.
Part of a Broader Pattern of Island Warrant Enforcement
The appeal for Wright follows a familiar playbook for Big Island police, who issued a similar warning about criminal liability for harboring a fugitive in December during a manhunt for an assault suspect in Hawaiian Ocean View Estates — one of the same communities Wright is known to frequent, as Hoodline previously reported. Warrant enforcement remains a significant part of the department's workload; across 2025, Hawaiʻi Police Department operations resulted in 427 warrants issued and 297 arrests for criminal offenses islandwide, with department leaders crediting community tips as critical to executing those warrants.
For now, Wright remains a wanted suspect who has not been apprehended or brought before a court, and any claims about his whereabouts or involvement in the separate investigation remain unproven allegations. It's not yet clear whether additional suspects were involved in the alleged jewelry store theft or whether any stolen merchandise has been recovered.
