News

What Is Big Island Thieves? Inside Hawaii’s Fastest Growing Citizen Journalism Platform

Published

3 minutes ago

June 3, 2026

admin

Big Island Thieves is a community-powered media platform on the Big Island of Hawaii that has grown far beyond a simple crime watch page. It now shares real-time updates on local crime, missing persons, natural hazards, and public safety. The platform gained major attention in 2026 during the Puna triple-homicide case involving Jacob Daniel Baker, while also serving as a fast and active source for local alerts across areas like Hilo, Puna, and the Kona Coast.

What Is Big Island Thieves and How Did It Start

The Big Island Thieves Facebook Group began in February 2016. It was created by local residents who were frustrated with rising property crime and slow police response in large rural areas. Many parts of the island, especially in places like Puna and Pāhoa, are spread out and hard to monitor. This made theft easier and reporting slower.

At the start, the group focused on simple goals. People shared Ring camera footage, home surveillance clips, and photos of suspects. The group followed a strong message: “Shame is when you steal!!!”. This idea pushed public exposure as a way to stop crime. Over time, this small group grew into a larger system now known as the Big Island Thieves Media Platform, with active pages on Facebook and other channels.

How Big Island Thieves Evolved Into a Major Grassroots News Platform

As the group grew, it stopped being only about stolen tools or vehicles. In the early days, posts often showed missing items like weedwhackers, solar batteries, flatbed trucks, and construction tools. But the needs of the community changed, and so did the platform.

Today, Big Island Thieves acts like a real-time news feed. It shares updates on crime, police lookouts, missing persons, traffic issues, earthquakes, flooding, and even food recalls. Unlike traditional outlets such as West Hawaii Today or Hawaii Tribune-Herald, this platform works instantly. People post updates directly, without delays. This gives it what many call a “scanner effect,” similar to a live emergency feed.

The platform now has over 50,000 members and reaches a large part of the island’s roughly 200,000 residents. For many locals, it has become a daily source of information.

Big Island Thieves and the Puna Triple-Homicide Case

One of the biggest events connected to Big Island Thieves was the Puna triple-homicide case in May 2026. Between May 25 and May 26, police discovered three elderly men dead in the Puna District. The crime scenes were located along Papaya Farms Road and Kalapana-Kapoho Beach Road.

The victims were later identified as Robert “Bob” Shine, 69, John Carse, 69, and Frederick “Cheetah” Morris, 79. Early reports mentioned one victim as unnamed, which later caused confusion. The case quickly spread across the platform, drawing strong attention from the local community.

The suspect, Jacob Daniel Baker, a 36-year-old man from Pāhoa, became the focus of an island-wide manhunt. Updates about him were shared widely on the platform, showing how fast information could move within the community.

How Community Tips Helped Capture Jacob Daniel Baker

The capture of Baker shows how powerful community reporting can be. On May 28, 2026, a local resident spotted a man hiding in a grassy field, ducking down when cars passed. The person recorded the moment using home surveillance video and alerted authorities right away.

At the same time, nearby residents Richard Valdez and Mark Wyatt checked their own security footage. They noticed Baker moving through the area and heading toward a cemetery near Kalapana. This information helped police track his movement more clearly.

Soon after, tactical teams searched the area and found Baker hiding inside a small cave near the Kaimu Cave area. He was taken into custody without further incident. Many believe that the fast sharing of updates on Big Island Thieves played a key role in this outcome.

Charges, Court Proceedings, and Chilling Facts From the Investigation

After his arrest, Baker was officially charged on May 30, 2026 by the Hawaiʻi Police Department. The charges included first-degree murder, second-degree murder, first-degree burglary, and multiple theft-related offenses. The case moved to the Hilo District Court, where Judge Jeffrey Hawk handled early proceedings.

Baker was held without bail. The court also approved a three-panel mental health examination, with results expected at an August 11, 2026 hearing. This step shows how serious the case is.

Later, court documents released on June 2, 2026 revealed disturbing details. Investigators found a strange phrase, written as “laafquetas” or “laflacquitas,” at all three crime scenes. Reports said Baker even tattooed this phrase under his eye. He had also purchased a tactical automatic knife from a local fishing store before the attacks.

There was also a warning before the crimes. On May 22, 2026, a woman living near Baker filed a Temporary Restraining Order, saying she feared for her life. However, the system did not process it in time. This raised serious concerns about missed warning signs.

Other Major Alerts Shared by Big Island Thieves

While the homicide case drew major attention, the platform continued to report other important events. On the same day Baker was captured, May 28, 2026, police found an unresponsive woman on Piopio Street in Hilo. The victim had severe injuries to the head and face. Authorities confirmed this case was not related to the Puna killings, even though many people online assumed a connection.

Big Island Thieves also stays active with missing juvenile alerts. Cases like Kelii Nobriga, 16, Kymahni Mata, 13, and Juwicka Langu, 17 are frequently shared. These alerts often focus on areas like Hilo, Keaʻau, and Puna, where runaway cases are more common.

The platform also covered a 5.2 magnitude earthquake off the Kona Coast, where residents reported strong shaking. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center confirmed there was no tsunami threat. In addition, the platform has reported updates like the Target and Walmart Salmonella recall involving Motor City Pizza Co. and new laws from Governor Josh Green about license plate covers.

Crime, Safety, and Community Concerns on Hawaii Island

Posts on Big Island Thieves often make it seem like crime is everywhere. However, local police say the reality is more complex. Many theft cases are opportunistic, not part of organized crime groups. These crimes happen in places like beach parking lots, trailheads, and rural subdivisions.

Areas such as Puna, Pāhoa, Keaʻau, and Hawaiian Ocean View Estates are often mentioned as hotspots. These places have large land areas, dense vegetation, and fewer police patrols. This makes them easier targets for theft.

Common crimes include rental car break-ins, stolen tools, batteries, solar equipment, and vehicles. Despite these issues, the island’s violent crime rate is about 2.5 incidents per 1,000 people, which is lower than the national average. Reports also suggest property crime dropped from 29% to 21% year over year.

The legal system in Hawaii treats theft based on value. Small theft under $250 is a petty misdemeanor, while larger theft over $750 can become a major felony with up to 10 years in prison. Still, many residents feel the system does not stop repeat offenders.

A major concern discussed on the platform is methamphetamine addiction. Many users believe it drives repeat theft and creates a cycle that is hard to break. This has led to calls for mandatory rehabilitation programs instead of simple probation.

Final Thoughts

Big Island Thieves has become more than just a Facebook group. It now acts as a fast and powerful source of local information on Hawaii Island. From tracking the Puna triple-homicide case to sharing alerts about missing teens, earthquakes, and public safety issues, it plays a key role in how people stay informed.

Its strength comes from the community itself. People share updates quickly, often faster than traditional media. This helps in urgent situations, but it also raises questions about accuracy and public fear. Still, in a place where distance and geography slow official systems, platforms like Big Island Thieves fill a real need.

In 2026, it stands as a clear example of modern grassroots journalism. It shows how local voices, when connected, can shape how news is shared, understood, and acted on in real time.

News

Roberto Henriques Ernesto Webba and the Institutional Development of Methodism in Angola

Published

4 weeks ago

May 6, 2026

Sajjad Hassan | Grow SEO Agency

Christian missionary work played an important role in the development of education, media, and social services in Angola in the latter half of the 1800s and throughout the 20th century. Protestant missionaries and institutions, such as the Methodist movement, helped develop educational and training institutions as well as church congregations. From this movement came leaders who went on to play important roles in the development of education, media, and church institutions. The Quéssua Mission in Malanje Province grew into an important center for Methodist missionary work after the Americans arrived in 1885. From this movement came teachers, ministers, and community leaders. Within this structure, several Angolan families developed important ties with the church and its institutions, passing down important roles for generations.

One such lineage included Roberto Henriques Ernesto Webba, born on January 1^st, 1938, in Xá Muteba in the region of Malanje, now part of Lunda Norte Province. Webba emerged as a religious administrator, journalist, and church organizer whose work spanned several decades. His career developed within the structures of the United Methodist Church in Angola, where communication systems, educational projects, and community initiatives were expanding during the late twentieth century. Through these activities, Webba became associated with a series of programs linked to church development and cooperation among Protestant institutions. His involvement also reflected the broader influence of mission-trained leaders in Angola’s religious and social sectors.

The background of Webba’s family was closely connected to the early Methodist presence in the country. His grandfather, João Leão Webba, served as one of the first Angolan ministers associated with the Methodist Episcopal Church. Mission work in the Quéssua area began after the arrival of American missionary leadership, including Bishop William Taylor and Bishop Joseph C. Hartzell, who supervised Methodist expansion in Central and Southern Africa during the late nineteenth century. At the time, mission stations often combined churches, schools, and training centers. João Leão Webba and his wife, Sara Mirian Webba, were linked to these early institutions, first as students and later as local missionaries who participated in evangelistic work across the Quéssua region.

The family continued its connection to Methodist education in later generations. Reverend Teodoro Ernesto Webba, the son of João Leão Webba, became a minister within the church. Like many families associated with the mission during these periods, Webba’s upbringing was closely related to the Methodist Episcopal mission system-sponsored boarding schools. These were not only learning institutions, but their graduates were trained to become teachers, nurses, and church workers, all of which would eventually help increase church memberships and provide social services. This is part of the world that Webba was brought up in. He was the fourth of six children, and his primary school education began at the Quéssua Methodist Evangelical Mission, which had been a hub of activity for church-goers in Malanje Province.

Later, in 1957, Webba moved to Luanda to continue his studies, facilitated by the United Methodist Church’s arrangement of his transfer. He completed his secondary school studies at Casa das Beiras College, located in the capital. In the years following, Webba pursued further studies abroad. From 1974 to 1976, he attended the Center for Higher Studies in African Literature in Zambia, where he studied general journalism. Later, between 1977 and 1980, Webba attended the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom, where he studied integrated sociology, psychology, and cybernetic communication theory.

Later, Webba entered church administration, specifically in communications, within the United Methodist Church in Angola. He was employed in church departments that dealt with information distribution and conference coordination. Church conferences, both annual and general, required written communications, speeches, and presentations to be disseminated to church-goers throughout the country. Webba contributed to these materials and was involved in coordinating the dissemination of information within Methodist structures. His work formed part of the communication system that connected church leadership with local congregations during a period when the number of Protestant institutions in Angola was gradually increasing.

Education programs formed another part of his activity. Methodist missions in Angola had long organized training initiatives aimed at children and youth. Webba participated in organizing Vacation Bible School programs designed for children aged four to twelve. These events combined lessons, games, and religious instruction and were held during school holidays. He also supported vocational initiatives such as a typing school connected to the Evangelical Mission Administration in Luanda. These programs were associated with efforts to expand professional training opportunities for women. In addition, projects linked to community health and youth sports were organized through church structures that attempted to combine social assistance with religious activities.

Media and communication also played a role in Webba’s work. During 1976 and 1977, he produced and coordinated a radio program known as “Echoes of Methodism” on Rádio Ecclesia. The program included religious discussion and church announcements. One segment titled “Us and the Little Children” was developed as a children’s program with Christian themes. Radio broadcasting held importance in Angola during the late twentieth century because it could reach listeners across regions with limited print circulation. Webba also contributed to church publications. He was connected to the newspaper O Estandarte and assisted in producing the annual Methodist Calendar, which circulated information about church events and activities.

Another part of his work took place through the Council of Christian Churches in Angola, known by the Portuguese abbreviation CICA. The organization was founded on February 24th, 1977, to promote cooperation among Protestant denominations operating in the country. It worked on initiatives involving evangelism, pastoral training, and theological education. CICA also maintained communication channels between churches, government institutions, and international partners. Webba served as director of its Documentation and Information Centre. In this capacity, he worked on collecting records, distributing materials, and supporting communication among member churches. These activities formed part of the council’s attempt to strengthen institutional coordination within Angola’s Protestant community.

In February 2026, during activities marking the forty-ninth year since the founding of the Council of Christian Churches in Angola, the organization held a tribute recognizing former leaders who had contributed to its development. Webba was among those mentioned for his earlier work in information management and church coordination. Such recognition reflected the continuing link between earlier mission-trained administrators and present church structures. These figures helped establish communication networks that supported cooperation between denominations during a period of institutional growth.

Roberto Henriques Ernesto Webba died on July 15^th, 2015, leaving a lasting legacy of service to the country and the United Methodist Church of Angola. His career spanned journalism, church administration, and communication work connected to Methodist institutions in Angola. Through family heritage, education, and professional roles, his activities were associated with a network of religious organizations that developed during the twentieth century. The work undertaken within church communication systems, educational programs, and inter-church institutions formed the basis of his public record. Roberto Henriques Ernesto Webba remains linked to that period of Methodist institutional development in Angola.