Hitchhikers and "Da Thumb"

[Guest]

Big Island police are asking for the public's help in identifying a motorist who sexually assaulted a hitchhiker over the weekend.

The man was traveling toward Puna on Route 11 near the Kea'au Ball Park Saturday night between 10:30 and 11:30 p.m. when he picked up a woman who was hitchhiking alone....

More info on description of suspect here

-------
Lower your expectations and be ready for anything.

[Andrew]

I've picked up hitch hikers for the past 13 years all all over the Big Island and especially here in Puna. I generally enjoy meeting and visiting with new people and have met all kinds. I've never had a negative experience even one time except for one guy that smelled pretty ripe. Just rolled all 4 windows down and kept cruizin down the highway. Thankfully though he wasn't going that far.


Andrew

[Jean H]

On our visits to Puna we have picked up hitch hikers, including our last visit a couple weeks ago. We have met some very interesting people.

One time, at the end of our stay in Wood Valley, as we were leaving for the airport, we picked up a (self-admitted) "wayward" Siberian Monk and took him into Pahala. He talked about being ousted from the Monastery there and admitted to loving the ladies and the herbs.

He apparently was living in the forest at the end of the road and told of how beautiful it was way up past the paved road and wanted to take us there to see. I told my son “NO” we didn’t have the time, but I was also leary of going that far into the jungle with a stranger. So I would not have gone, but I know, given the time, my son would have wanted to go.

But it was a great visual to see him perched on our luggage in a bright red Mustang convertible with the top down and winding down a one lane road. He was a nice interesting ending to our little adventure there.

This last visit to FFVE, we picked up a man who was looking to get his petition signed to be mayor of Hawaii. My son picked him up three separate times since there was a lot of activity at the community center. He told us that someone there had cancer and was going away, apparently never to return and there were live bands playing all day Saturday. You could hear them from miles away. He said someone else who was running for an office came to the event and signed his petition. He had three now and he needed 297 more. I told him I would sign, but I didn’t get to see him after that day.
We asked him what would be his first duty and not surprisingly, he said he would legalize pot.
He was also an interesting person and we were glad to help him around, but then I saw the article in the newspaper about Willie.

http://www.malibusurfsidenews.com/blog_n...tml#Willie

That hit close to where we were staying. We were at Hrano’s store just about every day getting supplies. Scary!!!

After reading this article, it doesn't mention Hrano's Store, but the newspaper mentioned that his last stop was at Hrano's and he was staying with someone in Glenwood and was trying to get back to Kona to buy a truck.

Jean Hopper

[EightFingers]

Too many murders from hitch-hikers here in Kansas City. We have learned not to pick ANYONE up. There have also been some staged accidents that have lead to kidnappings and murders. Much as I love to pick up the thumbers, old habits will have to die hard.

Edited reply.

[Rob Tucker]

Your use of the word here implies Puna by default. Perhaps you could clarify where here is for us.....

Punaweb moderator

[Nate SC]

I just got back from a trip to Puna and I picked up a bunch of hitchers going back and forth from Hilo to Pahoa. I kinda felt guilty about driving alone so I would look for people to pick up. I met this really cool guy named "Tony" on one trip. This gentlemen was maybe 60 and he looked like george clinton with the long dreds and all. I figured he might not get a ride really quick because he's not really "mainstream" looking even for Pahoa. I had passed him going to the post office in Pahoa and I said to myself..."I gotta see what that guys story is". When I pulled up I yelled out of the jeep " George clinton!! the mother ship has landed and I'm a P-funk all-star & I'm going as far as Hilo". Come to find out "Tony" was a little league coach and he named his team the "Dodgers" after number 42 Jackie Robinson, which was really cool. I think he said he had like 12 or 13 kids, and he made a point of saying they were all from the same woman, Which if your even kinda "ghetto" you can relate to. He said his wife was a school teacher in Hilo, really nice guy.
Another woman I picked up turned out to be really nice as well and we had a nice talk about religion and God using her as a tool in hospice care. She was feeling burnt out because the family didn't want to pay her after the patient passed on.
In LA I wouldn't pick up a hitcher but in Puna it's not a big deal I don't think.

[Dave M]

It would seem that 90% of the replies here are from the drivers point of view. I guess since I used to hitch, in my youth, I just kinda see it as someone needing a ride as opposed to a murderer. Most people have a story you can choose to hear it or just drive by and never know.. I usually pick people up if I'm in my truck but I don't do it if I have my son with me. To me that's just part of Hawaii. After the iniki blow on kauai everybody was hitching and it was just common place. There's probably a lot more muderers not hitching than hitching...

Blessings,
dave

Dear IRS. I would like to cancel my subscription. Please remove my name from your mailing list.

[EightFingers]

To Rob and everyone else,
I should have said here in Kansas City. That's what I get for posting to close to bed time![:I]

[leilaniguy]

One day I picked up a guy at the light. I said I was going as far as Leilani, he said "Well, I HAVE to have a ride all the way to Kalapana, I can't spend all day hitching! From now on when you see me, just pass me by". I told him it was guaranteed. I still see him hitching at the light, sometimes in miserable weather, sometimes for hours. He doesn't get many rides.

[Dave M]

LOL.. leilaniyguy,

"He doesn't get many rides."

Guess not.. maybe to many stipulations..right. One time I picked up a guy here on the mainland and after about 2 miles he started beating on my cab window yelling let me out. (He was in the bed of my truck) so I pulled over and he jumped out and was staring at me like I had done something rude. As I pulled back on the Hwy I noticed he was right back hitching.. Curiosity got the best of me and I had to pull over and look in the bed of my truck to see if there was rattlin snake in there are somthing.. I still to this day can't figure out how that hitch hiker figured out I was going to eat him later..[:p]

Blessings,
dave

Dear IRS. I would like to cancel my subscription. Please remove my name from your mailing list.