HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – A Honolulu Police Officer accused of making a false arrest and violating the rights of a driver has lost a lawsuit without going to trial.
Circuit Court Judge Kevin Morikone entered a default judgment against current HPD Officer Kelsey Messmer after she failed to appear for a court hearing. The officer was part of a class action lawsuit filed by ACLU Hawaii over the DUI arrests of drivers with zero alcohol in their system.
Officers dodged service
Messmer and retired HPD Sgt. Darren Cachola dodged a court process server and mailings for months to avoid being served paperwork in the civil lawsuit.
As a last resort, ACLU Hawaii served them via publication using ads in the Star Advertiser that ran for weeks in January and February…