Additional Coverage:
- 2 men were arrested on a road within Oprah’s Hawaii ranch. They’re suspected of illegal hunting (newsbreak.com)
Two individuals were detained in Kula, Hawaii, under suspicion of unlawful night hunting on a road within Oprah Winfrrey’s Maui ranch. Officials from the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources announced that on the night of June 21, the young men, aged 19 and from Maui, were stopped with hunting equipment and weapons in their vehicle, though they weren’t caught in the act of hunting.
The arrest occurred on a public thoroughfare encircled by Winfrey’s property after law enforcement discovered them with a hunting spotlight. They had a shotgun and a rifle, both loaded, in their truck at the time.
The charges against them include trespassing for hunting on private land without permission, hunting without a license, among other infractions. Additionally, one individual faced charges related to possessing an unregistered semi-automatic rifle.
In Hawaii, the issue of invasive axis deer has been significant, with populations flourishing across Maui and other islands.
As the investigation continues, the Maui County prosecutors are considering whether to press charges, and the two were released while the inquiry proceeds.
In response to the incident, Oprah Winfrey’s Harpo Productions indicated that the arrests were part of broader efforts to combat illegal poaching on Maui, noting collaboration with local ranchers to address the issue, and clarified that the arrests did not occur on Winfrey’s property itself.