Officer Kenolio pleaded no contest to tampering with evidence after wiping a container at the Hilo station in 2023; another officer faces separate charges.

Hawaii County Police Officer Blane Kenolio, 39, pleaded no contest to misdemeanor tampering with physical evidence after allegedly conducting a warrantless search of a closed container in an arrestee’s handbag at the Hilo Police Station in May 2023 and wiping it with alcohol to remove trace evidence. Sentencing is set for May 28, 2026, and Kenolio seeks deferred acceptance, which could erase the conviction if he remains crime-free for a year. Another officer, Noah Serrao, 28, faces separate felony and misdemeanor charges, including perjury, and is scheduled for a jury trial on June 8. The case was investigated by the Attorney General’s Special Investigation and Prosecution Division and the Hawaii Police Department. Both officers are presumed innocent.