By JOHN BURNETT
By JOHN BURNETT
Tribune-Herald staff writer
An 18-year-old Hilo man who police say was arrested Wednesday with his father in a stolen car has pleaded not guilty to 45 criminal charges.
Kyson Dameron faces charges including first-degree burglary, theft, forgery, fraudulent use of a credit card and identity theft. He made his initial appearance
Deputy Public Defender Zachary Wingert requested the court grant Dameron supervised release.
“Mr. Dameron is 18 and has no adult criminal record or prior convictions,” Wingert said. “Although he’s currently charged with 45 counts, he is innocent of all charges until proven guilty. We ask the court to give him the benefit of the doubt.”
Deputy Prosecutor Roland Kaholo Talon argued against supervised release, asking the court “to follow the recommendation and maintain his bail … based on the allegations in the complaint.”
Hilo District Judge Harry Freitas maintained Dameron’s $106,750 bail and scheduled a preliminary hearing for 2 p.m. today.
When the judge said bail would be maintained, Dameron’s grandmother, who was in the courtroom with Dameron’s mother, whispered aloud: “Thank you, God almighty.”
According to court documents filed by police, Dameron is accused of a Dec. 2 break-in at an acquaintance’s Waiakea Uka home where he allegedly cut a window screen in the victim’s garage, entered the home and stole jewelry and credit cards. Documents state that Dameron admitted to pawning a white gold ring with five diamonds, a gold-colored pendant and two chains at Hilo Surplus Store. The jewelry, which was recovered, was appraised at $1,000.
He was also charged with two additional counts of first-degree burglary for allegedly breaking into two Waiakea Uka homes on Dec. 4 and Dec. 10 and removing a laptop computer, cash and jewelry.
First-degree burglary is a Class B felony punishable by up to five years in prison.
Dameron was arrested on Wednesday in an allegedly stolen vehicle driven by his father, 37-year-old Tyson Prim. Police say the keys to the sport-utility vehicle were taken, and the vehicle stolen during a Dec. 9 break-in at a Kupukupu Street home in Hilo.
Police stopped the SUV Wednesday on Highway 11 and arrested both men. Prim was charged with auto theft and his bail was set at $10,000. He remained in custody Monday evening at Hawaii Community Correctional Center, according to the state Department of Public Safety website.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.