Maui officer arrested 5 times in 1 year; still on force

By Chelsea Davis, Reporter

A Maui police officer has been arrested five times in just over a year for offenses ranging from child endangerment to DUI to skipping court.

Rachel Garvin's five arrests happened between early January 2015 to late January 2016.

Her trouble began in 2014 when she went by her married name, Kealoha. While picking up her son at school one day, two teachers believed she was intoxicated, but allowed her to leave with her son. A few minutes later, she crashed into a guardrail.

Responding Maui police officers, including a lieutenant, didn't give her a field sobriety test and allowed her to leave the scene with a friend.

An internal probe led to a criminal investigation and she eventually pleaded no contest to a child endangerment charge in January 2015. She was put on probation for a year.

Four months later, in May 2015, Garvin was arrested for allegedly driving drunk and refusing to submit to a breathalyzer. The Maui Police Department sent out a news release about the incident, but never mentioned that it was Garvin's second arrest or that she violated the terms and conditions of her probation.

Those two cases eventually led to three more arrests, which include violating her probation and missing two court dates that were scheduled back-to-back weeks in January 2016.

Arkie Koehl, with Mothers Against Drunk Driving, said the situation puts the Maui Police Department in a difficult position.

"It's kind of awkward for Mothers Against Drunk Driving because the police are our closest partners and we totally depend on the police, just as the public depends on the police to protect us from drunk drivers," Koehl said.

The Maui Police Department and the police union did not return phone calls seeking comment.

Koehl said the case illustrates that no one is immune from alcohol abuse.

"Misuse and abuse of alcohol and drugs does not discriminate by what company you work for, what government agency you work for, what race, nationality, or religion you are … alcohol strikes anybody," he said.

The eight-year MPD veteran is currently assigned to desk duties. Her credentials and firearms have been surrendered.