Coast Guard legal official under DUI investigation

Mar. 20—The U.S. Coast Guard's top legal officer in Hawaii is under investigation after being arrested last week for an alleged drunken driving incident.

The U.S. Coast Guard's top legal officer in Hawaii is under investigation after being arrested last week for an alleged drunken driving incident.

According to a Honolulu Police Department arrest log, Capt. Tamara Wallen was arrested at 9 :30 p.m. March 13 on Kalanianaole Highway near Aina Haina.

Wallen is the staff judge advocate for the U.S. Coast Guard's Hawaii-based 14th District, making her the serv ­ice's top legal official for the Pacific Island region, which includes Hawaii, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and American Samoa. The Coast Guard considers District 14 to be one of its most important area of operations as the U.S. and China compete for influence in the Pacific.

In an email a Coast Guard spokesperson told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that "Coast Guard District 14 is aware of the allegation, and it is currently under internal investigation."

Throughout her career in the Coast Guard, Wallen has served in a variety of roles with positions as a lawyer, investigator and judge. In 2020 she was recognized by the Coast Guard for her work on the service's investigation team that looked into the circumstances of the 2017 sinking of the Seattle-based fishing vessel Destination in the Bering Sea, which killed all six crew members.