By Lynn Kawano, Hawaii News Now
Published: Nov. 17, 2025
Full story available here.
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Three Honolulu police officers accused of wrongful DUI arrests are now facing allegations they deliberately avoided a process server in a class action lawsuit.
Records show officers Ridge Newcom and Kelsey Messmer, along with recently retired officer Darren Cachola, have been evading service of legal papers.
Cachola has a history of disciplinary issues
The process server spent nearly 50 hours working to track down all the defendants in the case, including other HPD officers who accepted the papers months ago. Only Newcom, Messmer and Cachola gave the court the runaround, according to recently filed documents.
There were 10 attempts to serve Messmer, nine attempts to serve Newcom, and six attempts to serve Cachola the paperwork. These efforts included visits to HPD stations, their homes, and calls to their attorneys and corporation counsel.
The plaintiffs have had enough. The ACLU Hawaii is asking a judge to allow them to serve the three via publication, meaning an announcement will run in the newspaper for several weeks.
“You can run, but you cannot hide from the court,” said retired Circuit Court judge Randal Lee.
Lee said the officers could face significant financial penalties for their actions.
“The court can sanction you for all the costs to try to serve you. They can sanction you for the attorney’s fees. They can sanction you for the publication,” Lee said.
Of the three, Cachola was the only officer who responded to the process server’s emails or text messages.
According to the court filing, he sent a text on July 29 that said he was in the Philippines getting medical surgery on his genitalia.
However, records show Cachola threw his own retirement party in Honolulu on Aug. 22, less than one month later. A party that Hawaii Supreme Court Associate Justice Vladimir Devens attended and clearly showed Cachola was not out of the country as he claimed to avoid being served. Devens was Cachola’s attorney years ago after he was fired for a fight in a restaurant with his former girlfriend.
“In my opinion, the actions of these officers are totally egregious. It’s done in bad faith. It’s intentional,” Lee said.
He said the officers’ actions reflect poorly on HPD and the rank and file.
“Police officers don’t do this kinds of stuff. You expect that from maybe people who are criminals, who are evading the law, but you don’t expect that from law-abiding citizens or police officers,” Lee said.
A Circuit Court judge is expected to rule on the motion for the publication announcement soon.