A 41-year-old Honomu man is accused of stealing from a Honomu church.
Chad K. Shimaoka was arrested Saturday and charged Monday with second-degree burglary and fourth-degree theft for allegedly stealing a surveillance camera worth $1,000 in an early morning burglary Aug. 7, 2017, at Hilo Coast United Church of Christ.
He also faces a probation violation charge.
Despite the burglary, the church had surveillance video of the theft. According to court documents filed by police, Shimaoka was identified by a “distinct tattoo on (his) right forearm.”
Hilo District Judge Charles Hite on Monday denied a state request to grant supervised release to Shimaoka, according to court records. Hite did, however, reduce Shimaoka’s bail on the burglary charge, a Class C felony punishable by up to five years imprisonment, from $5,000 to $4,000, making his bail $4,250.
Hite ordered Shimaoka to appear at 2 p.m. today for a preliminary hearing.
Shimaoka, who has no prior felony convictions, was on a year’s probation for a misdemeanor assault conviction, according to court documents.
On April 10, 2017, Hilo Circuit Judge Henry Nakamoto granted Shimaoka a year’s deferral of his guilty plea, which means Shimaoka’s conviction would have been erased from the record had he not been charged with a criminal offense by April 10, 2018.
During a separate hearing Monday, Nakamoto set bail on the probation violation at an additional $1,000, and set a 1:30 p.m. April 16 court date on that charge.
A church member, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said Tuesday it was “almost common knowledge in the community” that Shimaoka had taken other small items from the church, as well.
“I think the only thing the church is concerned about is that this individual doesn’t go on to harm anyone else,” the member said. “The church doesn’t have that feeling of, ‘Oh, lets get him,’ … about this individual. It does feel, however, that it has an obligation not to let this individual … victimize other people. He should be stopped.”
Shimaoka remained in custody Tuesday at Hawaii Community Correctional Center.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
