Report Title:

Peter Kema, Jr.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.R. NO.

53

TWENTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2001

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 
   


HOUSE RESOLUTION

 

URGING THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE and na keiki law center TO DETERMINE IF THE CIVIL RIGHTS OF PETER KEMA, JR., WERE VIOLATED DUE TO NEGLIGENCE BY THE STATE OF HAWAII AND HAWAII COUNTY.

 

WHEREAS, Peter Kema, Jr., also known as "Peter Boy," has not been seen by his relatives since February 1997; and

WHEREAS, Peter Boy was allegedly given by his father, Peter Kema, Sr. to an old family friend named "Auntie Rose Makuakane" (Makuakane) during a trip to Oahu in August 1997; and

WHEREAS, no one can be found who has seen Peter Boy since that time; and

WHEREAS, police have been unable to prove the existence of Makuakane, and the case is being actively investigated as a missing person's case; and

WHEREAS, while Peter Boy's parents have maintained that they have never harmed the child, the boy's three siblings, who have been placed in foster custody, have provided a disturbing portrait of alleged abuse, including allegations that Peter Boy was starved, forced to sleep outside, driven around in the locked trunk of the family car, and sometimes handcuffed to his bed; and

WHEREAS, despite reports of abuse, Peter Boy was still allowed by the Department of Human Services to remain with his family; and

WHEREAS, despite investigation by the Hawaii County Police Department, there has been no apparent progress in the case, and the whereabouts of Peter Boy are still unknown; and

WHEREAS, the interests of justice require a resolution of the mystery of Peter Boy's fate and closure to his case; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-first Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2001, that the United States Department of Justice, Na Keiki Law Center, and Hawaii's Missing Children Center are urged to investigate the missing person's case of "Peter Boy" Kema; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the United States Department of Justice and Na Keiki Law Center are requested to determine whether Peter Boy's civil rights were violated; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Human Services, with the assistance of Na Keiki Law Center and the Hawaii County Police Department, is requested to submit a report of any findings about the case, which can be made public without jeopardizing the progress of the case, to the Legislature at least twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2002; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the United States Attorney General, Director of Na Keiki Law Center, Director of the Center for Missing Children, Director of Human Services, and Chief of the Hawaii County Police Department.

 

 

OFFERED BY:

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