With the owners away, this Ewa Beach home became a magnet for illegal dumping

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - In Ewa Beach, a sad reminder about what can happen when homeowners are forced to leave a house unattended is also creating a community eyesore.

The elderly owners have been on the mainland during the pandemic and their realtor is stuck with the mess.

Realtor Michelle Acohido-Morales showed HNN the home on Kalapu Street.

“I honestly don’t know where this stuff comes from, but it comes at night,” said Acohido-Morales.

It’s believed that the trash is coming from the home next door. Someone created a large hole in the fence so that people can walk from one side and then go to the other to get rid of the trash.

It’s become a dumping ground for appliances, furniture and mounds of trash.

“I was speechless. I was so overwhelmed,” she said.

“When I stepped into the back of the property, I didn’t expect it to be this bad.”

She’s boarded up the home to keep vagrants out, but someone broke in. Inside, the home smells of urine and there’s trash everywhere. On a mattress, a prescription bottle and a knife.

The four-bedroom home is actually in escrow. After being listed for $579,000, it got eight offers.

The city has two violations against the homeowners with fines totaling $458,900. It placed a lien on the property in 2015.

City officials say regardless who did the dumping, it’s the owners’ responsibility.

“The minute we clean up the area, immediately within the next couple of days, there was new trash,” said Acohido-Morales.

State Sen. Kurt Fevella, who represents the area, is trying to help with the cleanup.

“See something, say something. That’s how I got involved with this so it doesn’t get out of hand,” he said.

The current homeowner is caring for his ill wife in Florida and told HNN he was dealing with illegal trash before he left Hawaii in 2019. He’s sad to see his dream home go to waste.

“I felt hurt. I felt betrayed,” said owner Samuel Hernandez. “They allow it to happen for fear. They have fear.”

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