Governor Josh Green, M.D.

 

DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS AND REHABILITATION

KA ‘OIHANA HOʻOMALU KALAIMA A HOʻOPONOPONO OLA

 

JOSH GREEN, M.D.

GOVERNOR

KE KIAʻĀINA

 

 

TOMMY JOHNSON

DIRECTOR

KA LUNA HO‘OKELE

 

 

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 28, 2024

 

Kaua’i Community Correctional Center inmate dies from injuries sustained in alleged hit-and-run

 

KAUA‘I — Inmate Matthew J. Ornellas has died from injuries he sustained in an alleged hit-and-run upon his escape Friday from the Kaua‘i Community Correctional Center (KCCC).

“The Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (DCR) extends its heartfelt condolences to Ornellas’ family and loved ones,” said DCR Director Tommy Johnson.

Ornellas, 33, escaped KCCC by scaling the facility’s outer perimeter fence with razor wire just after 1 a.m. Friday, March 22, 2024.

Correctional officers pursued Ornellas on foot but lost sight of him after he entered a dense brush area. Shortly afterward, correctional officers heard a loud sound from the roadway.

Officers then observed a dark-colored vehicle making a U-turn on Kūhiō Highway, accelerating toward Kapa‘a.

Correctional officers searched for Ornellas along Kūhiō Highway and found him lying next to the roadside ditch with serious injuries.

Kauai police were immediately called. Ornellas was taken by ambulance to Wilcox Medical Center. While at the hospital, his condition deteriorated. Ornellas was pronounced dead earlier today, March 28, 2024.

Ornellas, a minimum custody inmate, was serving time for promoting a dangerous drug in the third-degree, a class C felony.

Police reports have been filed on the escape and hit-and-run.

The Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation is continuing its internal investigation into the escape.

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Media Contact:

Rosemarie Bernardo

Public Information Officer

Hawai‘i Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation

Office: 808-587-1358

Cell: 808-683-5507

Email: [email protected]

Website: https://dcr.hawaii.gov