Court documents indicate a 25-year-old Mountain View man nabbed by a newly formed task force organized to address what a police statement called “the deeply concerning increase in property crimes, mainly stolen vehicles” went on a crime spree in Puna during a two-week period before his arrest.
Arnold Bartolo Jose “BJ” Fernandez was taken into custody at about 9:30 p.m. Monday evening. Fernandez was wanted on an outstanding warrant and was spotted driving a stolen white Subaru Forester, police said.
Officers allegedly found the unattended Subaru at Orchidland True Value and saw Fernandez run from the retail complex, across Highway 130 and into Hawaiian Paradise Park subdivision. Police say Fernandez was arrested after being found hiding on the property “of an uninvolved HPP resident.”
According to documents, a bag belonging to an alleged victim that contained her school ID — taken from a Plumeria Street home earlier in the day — was found inside the Forester. Also in the Subaru were items taken from a burglary in HPP, police said, plus 20 rounds of 9 mm hollow-point ammunition, two marijuana plants about 3 feet tall and a multicolored glass bong-type pipe. Surveillance video showed Fernandez as the driver and sole occupant of the vehicle, documents state.
Fernandez made his initial court appearance Thursday on four counts of first-degree burglary, three counts each of driving a stolen vehicle and driving without a license, first-degree terroristic threatening, second-degree reckless endangering, unauthorized possession of confidential personal information, theft of a credit card, marijuana possession and five firearms-related offenses.
Court-appointed defense attorney Melody Parker objected to a prosecution motion to hold Fernandez without bail.
“We believe that many of these charges are subject to nonconvictions even if they were taken to trial,” Parker told Hilo District Judge Michael Udovic, and asked that Fernandez’s $432,000 bail be reduced to $50,000.
Deputy Prosecutor Kelden Waltjen noted that in addition to the current charges, which he said include 13 felonies, Fernandez also faces two prior counts each of second-degree burglary and driving a stolen vehicle.
“Based on my discussions with the police officers involved with the arrest … the defendant did attempt to evade capture at the time of his arrest, and after a short foot chase, the defendant was brought into custody. Based on the seriousness of the offenses and the fact that the defendant may pose a flight risk … the court should deny the defendant bail,” Waltjen said.
Udovic denied the state’s motion, reduced bail from $432,000 to $275,000 and ordered Fernandez to return for a preliminary hearing at 2 p.m. Monday.
Documents indicate that on July 3, a 36-year-old Pahoa man identified Fernandez from a photo lineup as the man he saw driving his mother-in-law’s stolen white Toyota Tacoma pickup truck on Government Beach Road near Pakaka Street. The man told police the driver of the truck brandished a black handgun, yelled “What?” then fired a shot from the truck, which was in a residential neighborhood, then drove off toward Hawaiian Beaches.
Video surveillance also allegedly showed Fernandez climbing a gate to gain entry to a vacation home on Beach Road, then taking a dip in the swimming pool before entering the house, taking a cable box and DVD player and throwing them into the pool.
Police say investigators are continuing to examine these cases to determine if additional suspects are involved.
Fernandez is the third person apprehended by the task force.
On July 13, 19-year-old Christian Olivera of Honokaa and 24-year-old Jasmine Saragosa-Taoy were arrested in HPP. Olivera is accused of being the armed carjacker who allegedly stole a Subaru coupe at gunpoint on May 28 in Kalopa and is charged in connection with numerous auto thefts. Saragosa-Taoy is accused of being Olivera’s accomplice in three auto thefts, plus other property crimes.
Both waived their rights to preliminary hearings and have upcoming dates in Hilo Circuit Court.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
