A 39-year-old Hilo man has been charged in connection with the alleged Nov. 8 theft of a sedan in Laupahoehoe.
Man facing charges in alleged car theft
A 39-year-old Hilo man has been charged in connection with the alleged Nov. 8 theft of a sedan in Laupahoehoe.
Franklin Enos was charged Thursday afternoon with unauthorized control of a propelled vehicle, according to the Hawaii County Police Department. His bail was set at $10,000.
Enos was also charged with two counts of discharge of sureties in connection with a previous, unrelated offense, according to police.
Police responded to an 8:20 a.m. Nov. 8 report that a 2011 Honda Fit sedan had been taken from outside a convenience store in Laupahoehoe, according to police. Investigation led to the identity of Enos, who was arrested Tuesday afternoon at Laupahoehoe Point. Police have also located the Honda.
Suspect charged in vehicle theft
A Kona man has been charged with a dozen offenses after a pickup truck was stolen from an auto dealer.
Jason Schloffel, 23, of Kailua-Kona was charged Friday afternoon with three counts of unauthorized control of a propelled vehicle, two counts of second-degree theft and one count each of first-degree reckless endangering, second-degree burglary, unauthorized entry of a motor vehicle, criminal property damage, resisting an order to stop, resisting arrest and driving with a suspended license. His bail was set at $83,000.
Schloffel was a suspect in the theft of a 2004 Toyota pickup truck stolen Nov. 8 from a car dealership on Kanoelehua Avenue in Hilo. In addition, a lock to a gate was damaged, the establishment was entered and vehicle parts were removed.
Shortly after midnight Thursday, personal belongings were removed from a vehicle parked at Hilo Medical Center. Witnesses identified the suspect’s vehicle, which matched the description of the truck taken from the dealership.
Later that morning, a patrol officer observed the truck on Komohana Street and attempted to make a traffic stop. The vehicle fled. It was located 10 minutes later in a residential area. When an officer approached the pickup, it almost hit a police car and fled.
The truck was later located on a dirt road off Saddle Road near mile marker 10. The driver, who resisted arrest, was determined to be wanted for two cases of unauthorized control of a propelled vehicle in Kona. Schloffel was arrested and taken to the Hilo police cellblock while detectives from the Area I Criminal Investigations Section continued the investigation.
He is being held at the Hilo police cellblock pending his initial court hearing scheduled for Monday.
Missing Hilo woman found unharmed
Big Island police have located 26-year-old Amanda Helene Schwartz of Hilo, who was reported missing. She was found unharmed in Honokaa Friday morning.
Pahoa man faces additional charges
Big Island police have filed additional charges against a 22-year-old Pahoa man who is being featured this month on “Hawaii Island’s Most Wanted.”
On Thursday, police arrested Airiel Rhodes Jost on bench warrants for violating terms and conditions of his probation. He was also a suspect in other crimes, including a Nov. 2 home invasion and terroristic threatening in Pahoa; Nov. 8 theft of a Mercedes-Benz automobile on Kapoho Beach Road; and Nov. 14 theft of a Mazda Miata in the Leilani Estates subdivision.
Police investigation linked all three incidents to Jost. Friday afternoon, detectives from the Area I Criminal Investigations Section charged him with first-degree burglary, first-degree terroristic threatening, two counts of unauthorized control of a propelled vehicle and driving without a license. His bail was set at $57,000.
Jost is being featured this month on the cable access program “Hawaii Island’s Most Wanted,” which was recorded before his arrest.
The program airs on Na Leo O Hawaii Community Television Channel 54 on Sundays at 5 p.m. and Fridays at 5:30 p.m. It also airs intermittently on Channel 53.
Search suspended for woman reported overboard on cruise
HILO — The Coast Guard has suspended its search for a woman who reportedly fell overboard from a cruise ship off the Big Island.
The search for the 54-year-old woman was suspended Friday. Crews searched more than 10,000 square miles since Wednesday.
Princess Cruises spokeswoman Julie Benson said witnesses and security video confirmed the American passenger was “intentionally going overboard.”
The cruise ship changed its course and searched for the woman in waters about 650 miles northeast of Hilo.
Benson said the ship was three days into a roundtrip cruise from Hawaii to San Francisco.