A second man has been charged with a Sept. 8 burglary under a state law that provides for stiffer sentencing for certain crimes committed during a state of emergency.
A second man has been charged with a Sept. 8 burglary under a state law that provides for stiffer sentencing for certain crimes committed during a state of emergency.
On Sept. 8, a 35-year-old Puna man reported that he returned to his home on 34th Avenue in the Orchidland Estates subdivision and saw a man entering his house through a window and then exiting and fleeing in a van driven by another man.
On Wednesday, police arrested the suspected driver, 24-year-old Jesley Saniatan of Hilo, who had been indicted by a grand jury for being an accomplice burglary of a dwelling during an emergency declaration. That enhances the burglary from a B felony punishablke by up to 10 years imprisonment to an A felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison with no possibility of probation.
Saniatan’s bail is $10,000. He was held at the Hilo police cellblock pending his court arraignment today.
The other suspect, 23-year-old Ronald Altura Jr. of Keaʻau, was arrested on September 18 and charged with the same offense.
On Sept. 4, Mayor Billy Kenoi proclaimed a state of emergency for the Puna District due to the lava flow crisis. As a result, the classifications of certain crimes, including burglary, are elevated while the emergency proclamation is in effect.
For example, petty misdemeanor criminal property damage, usually punishable by up to 30 days in jail or a fine of up to $1,000, is elevated to a Class B felony, punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $25,000.
Other offenses, including theft, robbery and any assault against an emergency worker also face elevated penalties.