A 33-year-old Hilo man who assaulted a man in Wainaku, then committed a carjacking that set off a manhunt which closed Mauna Kea to visitors more than 14 months ago was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
A 33-year-old Hilo man who assaulted a man in Wainaku, then committed a carjacking that set off a manhunt which closed Mauna Kea to visitors more than 14 months ago was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Third Circuit Court Judge Glenn Hara sentenced Jeremy Todd Rios on Tuesday to five years on numerous charges resulting from the carjacking, plus another five years, to run consecutively, for violating his probation. Rios, who’s been in custody since his arrest, will receive credit for time served.
Rios pleaded guilty in July to felony assault, terroristic threatening, unauthorized entry to a motor vehicle, auto theft, two counts of leaving the scene of an accident, reckless driving, resisting an order to stop, driving while license suspended, and theft. A second-degree robbery charge, which carries a possible 10-year prison term, and another theft charge were dropped in exchange for his plea.
According to police, at about 7:40 a.m. July 30, 2013, officers responded to reports of a man flashing a firearm from a black Honda sedan while driving on Kinoole Street in Hilo. Officers spotted the car in a parking lot on Kinoole near Kahaopea Street. The driver sped away toward downtown Hilo, then turned right on Ohea and broadsided a pickup truck at the corner of Ohea and Kilauea.
The driver got out of the black Honda and into the passenger seat of a white Honda Accord that was stopped because of the collision. The driver of the second car, Christine Gumbs, reportedly told police the man said “they’re trying to kill me.”
Gumbs managed to get out of the car and Rios drove off after he struck another vehicle.
Rios ditched the stolen car near the Mauna Kea Visitors Center, and police blocked visitor access to Mauna Kea Access Road at about noon as they searched for him by foot and helicopter.
He was arrested at about 6:30 p.m. after walking out of a field.
The assault and terroristic threatening charges stem from an incident in Wainaku shortly before the carjacking. A 55-year-old man, Floyd Sale, told police Rios head-butted him in the face, knocking him to the ground.