A 37-year-old Hilo man is accused of a crime spree over a period of 10 days resulting in 11 criminal charges, eight of them felonies.
Jeffrey DeCastro Jr. is charged with first-degree robbery, first-degree theft, unauthorized control of a stolen vehicle, second-degree assault of a police officer, habitual property crime, being a felon in possession of ammunition, two counts of methamphetamine possession, possession of drug paraphernalia, resisting an order to stop a motor vehicle, and driving after his license was suspended or revoked.
According to court documents, a woman acquaintance told police that on Sept. 23 DeCastro brandished a firearm and stole her Toyota 4Runner sport-utility vehicle. DeCastro denied the theft, saying the woman handed him a screwdriver to start the SUV.
On Oct. 2, police responded to an Ainaola Drive home on a report that DeCastro, who was considered a wanted fugitive, was there. When police arrived, they saw a black Honda Accord leave the home and flee at a high rate of speed south on Ainaola, documents state.
Police pursued the car, which refused to stop and reached speeds in excess of 60 mph. Police say the car crossed double-solid yellow lines and passed vehicles recklessly after turning onto Haihai Street, where the pursuit was terminated.
The Honda’s owner, DeCastro’s ex-girlfriend, told police it was DeCastro who was driving her vehicle.
And on the evening of Oct. 3, police stopped a white Toyota Tacoma on Waianuenue Avenue near Kamehameha Avenue in downtown Hilo because of a defective headlight and an expired safety check, documents state. DeCastro, who was in the front passenger seat, reportedly struck Officer Edward Petrie with a closed right fist to his neck, causing pain, and fled on foot.
Petrie chased DeCastro on foot and fired his Taser, striking DeCastro and causing him to fall. DeCastro was then taken into custody.
A search of the truck and DeCastro turned up methamphetamine and a smoking pipe, and a backpack DeCastro allegedly claimed ownership of contained 9 mm ammunition and a pipe with methamphetamine residue.
The most serious charge, first-degree robbery, is a Class A felony punishable by up to 20 years imprisonment. First-degree theft and being a felon in possession of ammunition are both Class B felonies that carry a potential 10-year prison term.
Five of the remaining charges are Class C felonies punishable by up to five years behind bars.
Prosecutors say Castro is subject to extended terms of imprisonment as both a persistent and multiple offender. According to the complaint, in 2015 De Castro was convicted of second-degree burglary and second-degree theft, both Class C felony offenses.
An extended sentence for a Class A felony would expose DeCastro to a life sentence with the possibility of parole, while an extended sentence for the other felony offenses doubles the potential prison time.
Extended sentences are seldom granted, however.
At his initial appearance Wednesday in Hilo District Court, Judge Mahilani Hiatt confirmed DeCastro’s bail at $127,000 and ordered him to return today for a preliminary hearing.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
