Burglars were forced to settle for little more than a local-style ice cream social after learning they couldn't lug Swing Zone's cumbersome safe through a lava field.

Despite cutting electrical and phone lines and disarming Swing Zone's alarm system before breaking the activity center's safe off its cement platform, all that burglars made off with was five cases of soda, eight gallons of ice cream, four cases of Spam and $8 in cash during the April 29 burglary that ultimately cost the business about $7,000 in damage.
However, police responsiveness to the incident didn't cut it for Swing Zone General Manager Nita Chatfield. She said police didn't take the crime seriously and were more concerned with getting off their shift than investigating the crime, forcing her and her boyfriend, Darrell Lopez, to stake out the scene and later detain the suspects.
Kona Patrol Capt. Chad Basque said he was not familiar enough with the case to comment on specifics. But he said when officers are investigating a burglary at shift change, “they stay until it’s done.”
Armed with baseball bats and pepper spray, Chatfield and Lopez hid in the lava field around 8 p.m., hours after the burglary. By 1:30 a.m. Chatfield said three people came to the area where suspects had left the stolen safe looking as though they were searching for something. Lopez managed to get the three people to the ground while Chatfield called police, who she said responded within 10 minutes.
"I came to them from the bushes and told the officers where the suspects were and that my boyfriend had them on the ground. The police then asked, 'can we use a cell phone to call him?'" Chatfield said, noting that she eventually got officers to go back into the lava field.
Officers arrested three people. Pua Taketa, 19, of Kealakekua, was arrested and charged with second-degree burglary and simple trespassing. Noel Taketa, 19, of Waimea, was arrested and charged with simple trespassing. Noa Mamala, 18, of Kealakekua, was arrested and charged with simple trespassing, two counts of second-degree burglary, second-degree theft and third-degree theft.
"You'd think they wanted these kids. It would have been the perfect opportunity but they wouldn't have taken it if we didn't go out and wait for them to come back. ... (Police) are just so lax here, I feel like I did their job for them," Chatfield said.
Chatfield said that Swing Zone, located just mauka of the Old Kona Airport Park entrance, had been burglarized between 11:30 p.m. April 28 and 6 a.m. April 29. She noted electrical lines had been cut around 1:30 a.m.
Chatfield was notified of the burglary and met with responding officers at 6:15 a.m.
Following fresh tire trails, Chatfield said she and Lopez located a stolen golf cart, which was nearly broken in half, and a trail of broken drywall leading to their safe -- hidden beneath a Kiawe tree still locked with $1,000 inside.
Chatfield said she returned to where officers were waiting and walked them to the safe and golf cart where she was told that there was no reason to take fingerprints. However, photographs were taken.
About an hour after arriving, Chatfield said the officers wanted to leave because their shift had ended.
"Dealing with the police was extremely dissatisfying," Chatfield said.
Chatfield said she called an off-duty sergeant, who had two officers come down and fingerprint the business around 8:15 a.m.
While the second set of officers was on the scene, Chatfield said she learned from the officers that the suspects would likely return for the safe.