Three people accused of burglarizing homes during the COVID-19 emergency include a felony probationer who allegedly traded a pilfered generator for heroin and a couple busted after driving with an allegedly stolen fishing cooler protruding from an open door of their car.
According to court documents filed by police, 35-year-old Sampson Davidson, whose address is listed as a clean-and-sober house in Hilo, was responsible for two burglaries of the same home on Hale Pule Loop in Kurtistown late last month.
On March 24, the homeowner’s camera captured images of a maroon Dodge pickup truck reversing into the home’s attached garage and a man wearing a bright yellow shirt getting out of the truck, documents state.
The homeowner told police a screen door, some lumber and tools were missing.
The second burglary occurred March 29, documents state.
The homeowner’s brother-in-law, who’s a neighbor, saw the same pickup truck at the home, according to documents, and when the alleged burglar, who was in the truck bed, saw the witness, he jumped into the truck’s cab and drove away.
The homeowner reported as stolen a Honda generator worth about $1,200 and an 18-volt battery and two battery chargers.
The brother-in-law got the license number of the truck, and police tracked it to Davidson, who was arrested on April 2.
Police say Davidson — who was on felony probation for a firearms offense — admitted trading the stolen items for 2.7 grams of heroin. He also allegedly admitted cutting a hole in drywall on the property to facilitate the theft during the second burglary.
He was charged with two counts each of first-degree burglary and burglary of a dwelling during an emergency, first- and second-degree theft and first-degree property damage.
Davidson on Wednesday waived a preliminary hearing. Hilo District Judge Kanani Laubach maintained Davidson’s bail at $117,000 and ordered him to appear for arraignment and plea at 8:30 a.m. April 21 in Hilo Circuit Court.
Also waiving preliminary hearings Wednesday were 31-year-old Darren Seiji Miura and his girlfriend, 28-year-old Kayla Kanoelani Shoko Ayala of Hilo, both suspects in an April 2 burglary in Hilo.
At about 3 p.m. April 2, a patrol officer followed a dark-blue Acura sedan traveling east on Haihai Street near Iwalani Street in Hilo after noticing the car’s rear driver-side door was open, with a “large white object … sticking out into the oncoming lane” of traffic, according to documents.
The officer continued to follow the car “to address any safety issues,” documents state.
Ayala, who police say was driving, pulled into a driveway on West Kawailani Street, and she and Miura fled on foot, documents state. Other officers arrived, a foot chase ensued, and both suspects were taken into custody.
Police say the cooler, a 270-quart Aussie Box with a replacement value of $760, had been stolen from an Oihana Street home.
Ayala was charged with first-degree burglary, burglary of a dwelling during an emergency, first-degree theft during an emergency, and driving without a license.
Miura was charged with first-degree burglary, burglary of a dwelling during an emergency, first-degree theft during an emergency, and habitual property crime.
Laubach maintained Miura’s bail at $75,000 and Ayala’s at $45,000 and ordered both to appear for arraignment and plea at 8 a.m. April 22 in Hilo Circuit Court.
The most serious charge each of the suspects face, burglary of a dwelling during an emergency, is a Class A felony punishable by up to 20 years imprisonment upon conviction.
All three remain in custody at Hawaii Community Correctional Center.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.