A judge ruled Monday the man accused of stealing a yacht from Honokohau Harbor in October was fit to stand trial.
A judge ruled Monday the man accused of stealing a yacht from Honokohau Harbor in October was fit to stand trial.
Third Circuit Court Judge Elizabeth Strance said three doctors submitted reports that Richard Sherwood was mentally capable to face a first-degree theft charge.
Sherwood, who was free on bail for the hearing, was charged in October with the felony count after he allegedly broke into the boat, bringing a guitar and luggage aboard, then took it out of the harbor. Sherwood reportedly asked a fisherman to help him get out of the slip, but only made it 2 to 3 miles north, to Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park, before running the vessel aground on the reef, just offshore of Aimakapa Fishpond, police said last fall.
According to the state Department of Land and Natural Resources’ Hawaii District Boating Office, a marine salvage company completed the removal of the vessel Oct. 18. It was towed to a site designated by the U.S. Coast Guard and sunk. The owner’s insurance is covering the costs.
The owners told West Hawaii Today The Corsaire, a luxury yacht designed by William Gardner and built in Taiwan, was valued at $495,000. The owners had had the boat since 1980.
Strance set a July 22 trial date for Sherwood.