Second suspect arrested in Maui IED case has prior felony convictions

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Maui police have made the second arrest in connection with improvised explosive devices found on the island in the past few months.

Jess Lee, 43, was arrested in connection with explosive devices found near Kaamana Street in Kula on August 7.

According to court documents, MPD found multiple IEDs detonated along the roadway, including one attached to a guardrail. The detonation apparently caused “significant” damage to the guardrail.

The barrier on the left is surrounded by what appears to be the remains of a detonated charge... — The railing shown on the left is surrounded by what appears to be the remains of detonated explosives. The railing on the right is the adjacent railing.(Court documents)

Investigators determined that the materials used in the detonated explosives largely matched those used to make illegal homemade fireworks.

They managed to match a fingerprint on the sticky side of masking tape from one of the explosives to Lee’s fingerprints.

Authorities say Lee has several prior felony convictions, including assault and making terrorist threats.

The arrest was the result of a coordinated effort between MPD and the FBI. There have been at least three incidents where authorities have encountered IEDs.

One occurred July 23 near Kahului Elementary School. Robert Francis Dumaran, 47, was arrested in connection with the incident.

The second incident occurred on August 7 in Kula, and the third occurred on August 8 as a result of an explosion that damaged a car on the Old Haleakala Highway.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: