KAILUA-KONA — A 37-year-old man will stand trial for allegedly vandalizing the Body Glove vessel in September as it sat moored in Kailua Bay.
KAILUA-KONA — A 37-year-old man will stand trial for allegedly vandalizing the Body Glove vessel in September as it sat moored in Kailua Bay.
Bhajan Manu Morris is slated to enter his plea Thursday before 3rd Circuit Court Judge Melvin Fujino, to charges of second-degree theft, fourth-degree criminal property damage and making a false statement to authorities.
On Friday, District Court Judge Margaret Masunaga found probable cause to support the charges following a preliminary hearing and sent the case to Circuit Court for adjudication.
Morris, who also goes by BJ Morris, is charged in connection with a Sept. 10 incident in which he allegedly swam out to, boarded without authorization and vandalized Body Glove Cruises’ Kanoa II, causing more than $5,100 in damage and missing items. He was arrested the next day after the vessel’s owner posted the crime to Facebook and offered a reward.
He remains in custody at Hawaii Community Correctional Center in lieu of $2,750 bail.
Second-degree theft is a class C felony punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment and a maximum fine of $10,000. Fourth-degree criminal property damage and making a false statement to authorities are both petty misdemeanors that carry a sentence of imprisonment up to 30 days and a fine up to $1,000, according to Hawaii Revised Statutes.
