An 18-year-old Puna man admitted to police he drove two stolen vehicles, both of which were involved in traffic collisions, and attempted to steal a third, according to court documents filed by police. ADVERTISING An 18-year-old Puna man admitted to
An 18-year-old Puna man admitted to police he drove two stolen vehicles, both of which were involved in traffic collisions, and attempted to steal a third, according to court documents filed by police.
Benson Kalani Maddison of Hawaiian Paradise Park is charged with two counts each of burglary and driving a stolen vehicle, one count of attempting to steal a vehicle, second-degree theft, DUI, driving without a license, leaving the scene of an accident, and marijuana possession.
Maddison was taken into custody by police shortly after 8 p.m. Monday evening after allegedly being involved in a single-car crash near the 15-mile marker of Highway 11 in Mountain View. He was driving a Ford Escape stolen earlier in the evening, reportedly during a burglary in HPP.
Police wrote when Maddison was contacted, he had “red, watery, glassy eyes, the smell of alcoholic beverage on his breath and slurred speech.”
Maddison allegedly told an officer, “I’m drunk, I don’t know whose vehicle this is, I just took it.”
Documents state he told police he had consumed 12 Rolling Rock beers and was seeing double while driving. Inside the car were “three live marijuana plants not belonging to the vehicle owner,” according to documents.
Maddison reportedly admitted to the burglary during which the car was stolen. He also allegedly admitted he burglarized another HPP home just minutes earlier in which he cut a window screen to gain entry and took several items.
Police say Maddison also admitted to entering a Ford Ranger pickup truck at that home and unsuccessfully attempting to hot-wire it.
A witness also reportedly identified Maddison as the person who crashed a Honda CRV in Kalapana at about 6 a.m. Aug. 1. The vehicle was reported stolen from an apartment complex in Hilo that same morning. Documents state Maddison admitted to being involved in a collision while driving the stolen Honda.
Hilo District Judge Diana Van De Car reduced Maddison’s bail from $96,000 to $31,000 during his initial court appearance Wednesday and ordered him to appear at 2 p.m. today for a preliminary hearing.
In an unrelated stolen vehicle case, Van De Car increased the bail of 24-year-old Dyson Sarme-Medeiros from $10,000 to $25,000 and ordered him to also appear for a preliminary hearing at 2 p.m. today.
Sarme-Medeiros is accused of driving a 2001 Toyota Tacoma flatbed pickup that was stolen Aug. 3 from California Hawaii Foliage in Papaikou.
Police encountered the stolen truck without license plates at about 11 a.m. Aug. 11 on the shoulder of Highway 11 just south of Hirano Store in Glenwood, according to court documents. The driver of the truck allegedly took off in the vehicle as police approached, but an officer identified him as Sarme-Medeiros.
Sarme-Medeiros reportedly turned onto a farm road across from Lehuanani Street, stopped the truck and fled on foot into a heavily wooded area.
Sarme-Medeiros was arrested without incident Tuesday in Hilo, police said.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
