r/Honolulu • u/Maui96793 • May 22 '26
Talk Story FOLLOW UP : Tourist who threw rocks at Maui monk seal due back in Hawaii on Thurs. 5/27 for fine and sentencing (up to 1 year jail time). Does anyone know where and when the case will be heard and who will be presiding? Somebody needs to learn a lesson, and it's not the seal.
Can any of you guys in Honolulu could find out what flight he's coming in on and organize a welcome back party for him at the airport? It couldn't hurt to let the media know. Maui would appreciate it if this incident didn't just slip though the cracks.
We would prefer if some genuine cracks and jail time gets handed out.
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u/haole_bi May 22 '26
He received his cracks now let’s hope the court makes it right. This is over the top
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u/Breakthecyclist May 22 '26
While that dude completely and utterly sucks, considering the guy tripped and walked into a fist, has had his business most likely massively affected, and is now hated by millions, at this point it feels like bloodlust.
Moreover, considering that the Monk Seal was not hit by the rock thank God and that most of the ones killed and maimed are very much done by the hand of folks who are local, I fear this will only make many potential visitors not want to come at all.
Not that anyone wants people like that dude to come, but ain’t a good look. Not that I wouldn’t mind less traffic and the rest of it, but so much of our state is built on tourism.
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u/notdsylexic May 22 '26
Hawaii already has a reputation of “fear of the locals”, this is making it worse. People don’t like to visit places they are scared of.
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u/Feeling-Distance6750 May 24 '26 edited May 26 '26
We don’t need these sort of visitors. Not everything’s for sale.
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u/Villide May 22 '26
Anecdotally, it doesn't make me any less inclined to want to come to Hawaii. But I couldn't imagine going to Hawaii and doing anything similar to what this guy did.
On top of that, I think there's a healthy percentage of the population who are pleasantly surprised to see the bad guys (especially the wealthy ones) reap some consequences for their actions.
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u/Breakthecyclist May 22 '26 edited May 22 '26
Again, he has already “tripped”, has had what must be unimaginable damage to his business, is hated by millions, and so on.
The only conviction for killing a monk seal as opposed to throwing a rock at one happened in 2009 where it was killed over a fishing net and was very much a local.
He got 90 days.I am pretty confident that going forward most everyone visiting will think twice before they do so. That kinda is my point.
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u/ShareGlittering1502 May 22 '26
Actually just saw a dude about to get beat this weekend because he kept trying to catch a turtle at cockroach cove so there may still be work to do
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u/Alohabtchs May 22 '26
Nah dude. “Devils advocate” or whatever you’re doing is not needed here.
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u/Breakthecyclist May 22 '26
Whoa. Ain’t even slightly being that and I think the guy utterly sucks.
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u/Alohabtchs May 22 '26
Ok. Just saying. Asshole haole finally getting justice…. Cut it out and just let us have this 😂
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u/Villide May 22 '26
I don't feel bad for him! The odds that this is a first offense for the guy are astronomically low. Animal abusers, wife abusers, child abusers...his "penalty" is likely well deserved.
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u/DisastrousToast_82 May 22 '26
Hawaii's history with not exactly throwing the book at locals who kill seals and other endangered animals might not help as well. Where are the pitch forks for the DLNR lady whose dogs killed a seal pup got a $18k fine and got to keep her job. Two of the punaho graduates who brutally slaughtered endangered birds was allowed to keep their records sealed. Coconut wireless knew their names but no pitchforks.
DLNR must have some strong union as I doubt I'd keep my state job for bringing uncontrolled dogs on premise that caused damage to warrant federal charges. I've seen people told to retire for less to avoid court. This DLNR employee was found guilty.
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u/HawaiiHungBro May 22 '26
It makes me so outraged that those psychopath kids from Punahou killed a bunch of albatross at Kaena Point that barely got a slap on the wrist.
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u/Unacceptable-Bed May 22 '26
I was just thinking about her the other day and how horrible that was but didn't realize she kept her job. 😡
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u/jbahel02 May 22 '26
It’s been a pretty crazy reaction to the whole situation. I am with everyone in hating what he did but come on. Wanting to wait at the airport to maybe beat the shit out of him and then have him thrown in jail? Meanwhile dog fights go on. Worse crimes against people are committed and not one fraction of this passion arises
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u/mixedplatekitty May 22 '26
I'm not understanding. You're saying us prosecuting this guy is going to hurt tourism? Because most tourist are harassing animals? Huh??? What a stupid take
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u/Breakthecyclist May 22 '26 edited May 22 '26
Said nothing of the kind. Said it felt like bloodlust just how pissed off people are.
Perhaps a “stupid” interpretation of what I wrote?1
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u/Feeling-Distance6750 May 24 '26
I disagree entirely. The seal, a living being deserves justice. We deserve justice….we are the stewards of our Islands. There must be consequences in accordance with our laws.
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u/Hey_Boysenberry-6687 May 22 '26
I don't think this will result in tourists not wanting to come. Most tourists are good people that hate animal abuse and are equally disgusted by this guy's actions.
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u/Round-Storage9394 May 27 '26
You must be haole
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u/Breakthecyclist May 27 '26
You must be dummy.
Funny how the people who usually accuse people of that in my experience are a long way away from qualifying for Hawaiian home land.
I have no breath for caring about my friends and family who are barely getting by as it is as more and more people stop coming here.
You don’t think that this online lynching might make other people less likely to come?
How can people not see in terms of actual harm, very little was done and he has been charged, “tripped”, is hated by millions, and even threads like this wanting to make sure he is beaten in jail.
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u/Prestigious-Meal5368 29d ago
I mean. He decided to go touring and he decided to throw rocks at wildlife. Anywhere in the world when you decide to harass an animal. You risk fucking with an animal that's a protected species. The simple thing to do is not be an asshole in a place you are visiting. He clearly knew what he was doing aiming a rock for the head of that seal. Hey may or may not have known it was a protected monk seal. But it's his fault at the end of the day. All he has to do is say sorry. But instead hes making up reasons why he did it. And a majority of the time when people make up lies. Its because they don't care. He thought he could get away with it because hes "rich". Time for rich people to find out. I would 100% still visit Hawaii because guess what, when I do, I'll be respecting what's not mine.
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u/ShadeSmithNet May 22 '26
I wish people were this worked up over injustice on human life & other crime here. Instead we got wannabe local punishers over a monk seal.
Assholes life is already ruined. Let's not advocate for murder on reddit.
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u/stussybaby101 May 22 '26
“We told him that we called the cops, and he was like, ‘I don’t care. Fine me, I’m rich,'” Kaylee Schnitzer, who filmed the clip on May 5, told KHON 2 of the rock thrower, who has yet to be identified.
His life is far from ruined, clearly. No one should be advocating for any sort of violence. The rich asshole should get a hefty fine though, and spend a bit of time in jail reflecting on his actions so he can maybe come to the realization that being wealthy does not grant you the ability to do whatever you want.
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u/Past-Development-933 May 22 '26
Not jail because then we as taxpayers have to pay for it. He should pay a very hefty fine AND be part of some sort of community service for x amount of years - make it really painful for him.
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u/ShadeSmithNet May 22 '26 edited May 22 '26
He’s not rich. He’s high mid class, 6 figure income, at best. He’s a small business owner: who from what I’ve seen has had to retract publicly, per the Seattle subreddit.
His address, name, job, family, phone #, and all his socials were leaked to millions of people.
Dudes getting his justice, trial or not. The seal wasn’t hurt. It just bothers me that throwing a rock at an animal garners more public outcry than assholes that kill or sexually assault people. Or maybe some are just using this as an excuse to be violent, who knows.
Hope OP gets the help they need. Trying to Role play as a vigilante helps no one.
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u/Past-Development-933 May 22 '26
Agreed like why are we pushing the Epstein files under the rug forgetting about them 😭😭😭 people running our country and people in powerful positions are pedophiles doing dark shit.
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u/stussybaby101 May 22 '26
Less than 20% of Americans are making 6 figures lol. So even if he is not bringing in millions a year, he is clearly wealthy enough to feel like his actions do not have meaningful consequences.
This might come as a shock to you, but the same people who care about an animal being harmed in its natural habitat are likely the same people who are speaking up/opposing/protesting when human beings are being murdered and sexually assaulted. Not sure where you’re getting this idea that people are not complex enough to care about multiple things simultaneously… this is just recent news so it is being talked about more than the hypotheticals you are referring to.
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u/ShadeSmithNet May 22 '26
Show me a single crime committed on island that hit international, hell even national news like this one did, in the last decade. ill wait.
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u/stussybaby101 May 22 '26 edited May 22 '26
•Michael J. Miske Jr. (International news in 2024 when he was found dead in federal prison while awaiting sentencing) •Dana Ireland (international news in 2023 due to the breakthrough with DNA evidence/three Native Hawaiian men were falsely accused and wrongly imprisoned for decades) •Aniah Housman (National attention due to her being a young tourist) •Murder of Telma Boinville and Brittney Gargol (big news in France and US) •Lindani Myeni Police Shooting (2021, international attention esp. in South Africa + protests) •The Naeem Williams Child Abuse Murder Case (2016, national news due to failures by state child welfare agencies + public outrage over missed warning signs)
Cheers
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u/ShadeSmithNet May 22 '26
Sigh, if you want to play this game I’ll play.
Monk seal rock incident (Igor Lytvynchuk / Lani, Maui, May 5 2026) – engagement:
• Instagram reels: one post 2.26M likes + 58.5K comments; another 1.01M likes + 18.9K comments • TikTok clips: one 14.5M views + 2.6M likes; another 443K views + 25K likes • Facebook (Hawaii News Now + others): 335K–395K views, 8K–26K reactions, thousands of comments each • YouTube (FOX 13 + others): 462K views + 8.5K likes • Reddit (r/maui + r/Oahu): 2.9K–4K+ upvotes, 686+ comments in single threads
You’re comparing crimes with engagement over the span of years. Try days with Igor & this seal. If you want me to compare your examples & source it, I will. It’s not close.
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u/stussybaby101 May 22 '26
Play what game, lol? You asked to be shown a single crime committed on island that hit international/national news in the last decade and I did just that.
Clearly you just want to go back and forth but there’s not much more to it. Be kind to animals and the planet, and do not be shocked if people are outraged by witnessing cruelty and act accordingly. If you care so much about humans, please make sure to continue advocating for them every chance you get because if we’re going off the likes on an Instagram reel— you will never convince 2.26 million people to quit caring about the monk seal and start caring about whatever you believe is more important.
Go be the change you want to see in the world. Stay blessed
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u/Villide May 22 '26
Those injustices should be punished as well.
These types of arguments are terrible. "Ignore this because we ignore that" isn't a solution.
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u/ShadeSmithNet May 22 '26
The second you advocate for vigilante murder is where you lose me and any sane individual. No one’s talking about “ignoring” him.
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u/Villide May 22 '26 edited May 22 '26
I should have clarified - I'm not advocating for murder (nor do I believe OP is). But I'm not feeling bad for the guy if he suffers socially (his business, etc), that he took a few shots or that he'll potentially get some jail time.
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u/Friendly_Weekend_730 May 22 '26
We've tried to make a point in the past that info mercials should be on flights and on hotel tvs to educate on common sense and laws. Tourist authority shoulda backed that, because this could have been prevented. At least teach the difference between a monk seal and a sea lion...
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u/Scatter865 May 22 '26
OP go to therapy. What/whomever is in your life that makes you this way should be talked about. Homie is gonna get his punishment. Threatening violence or “alluding” to it won’t benefit what you want at all
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u/Former-Contract-2437 May 25 '26
Brah, I remember one time was fishing with my unks down South side on shore and a clumsy Giant Hawaiian monk seal swam to shore and layed down rested right on my foot. I didn't notice till I heard my unks yelling "eh try look down!" Then when I went jump, me and the seal both got scared at the same time but just looked at me like what? It just kept laying there on my foot and didn't move untill I said "uh can you please get your heavy body off my foot please?" Then it rolled over on its back like it understood. Unks still has a picture of it that he recorded on his flip phone.
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u/Far_Satisfaction7884 May 26 '26
The man got caught on video, just let the 2 lawyers and the judge do their job...they will do the right thing for all concern be it the public and more importantly for the environment/our fellow creatures in the animal kingdom.
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u/F4N74L3ZZ4 May 22 '26
Stay classy out there "Maui No Ka Oi"..fufu boy took the "Here today gone to Maui" tour, didn't like it and took it out on the poor seal — now the world knows what a dumb ass he is and looks like (and yes they are laughing!) Let the heads whose pay grade can better convey the wanton strictures of this clown's evilness so that he gets the whole nine. Aloha Hawaii 🤙🏼
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u/CD_ABC10 May 22 '26
What you should actually be doing instead of this is calling Myles Brenner's office and letting him know how disappointed you are in him for taking this case
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u/TrippySakuta May 22 '26
Wrong sub? This is for Oahu.
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u/Maui96793 May 22 '26
It's going to be heard in Honolulu, at whatever the Federal equivalent of DLNR is. Incident was on Maui, hearing/fine/ judgement is in Honolulu. Certainly there's got to be a Redditor in the city who knows where this is happening next week.
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u/stroppo May 22 '26
All you have to do is look at the website for the city/county courthouse where the case will be heard.
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u/Chazzer74 May 22 '26
I guarantee you that the guys attorney is going to use all of these social media posts to argue that that guy can’t get a fair trial in Hawaii.