A 23-year-old man was sentenced Thursday to 15 years in prison, with a mandatory minimum of three years, in connection with a December 2020 home invasion and robbery at a South Kona home.
Jerome Kahoalii-Heath was sentenced by Circuit Court Judge Robert D.S. Kim after the Kona man pleaded no contest in August to 11 charges including seven felony offenses, second-degree accomplice to robbery, two counts of unauthorized control of propelled vehicle, first-degree resisting an order to stop a motor vehicle, first-degree terroristic threatening, ownership or possession of firearm prohibited and first-degree theft stemming from the Dec. 27, 2020, incident. Kahoalii-Heath also stipulated to revocation of his felony probation, where his prior convictions were for unauthorized control of propelled vehicle.
Kim sentenced Kahoalii-Heath, to a 10-year prison term in connection with the December 2020 incidents and a five-year prison term for revocation of his felony probation. Kim ordered that the prison terms be served consecutively. He also ordered that Kahoalii-Heath serve a mandatory minimum of three years in relation to the possession of a firearm in the commission of the resisting an order to stop offense.
According to police, Kahoalii-Heath and co-defendant Ioane Asagra allegedly entered a home, demanded drugs and money, and struck three witnesses in the head with a weapon before fleeing in a Honda sedan. The victims were treated on site for their injuries.
On Dec. 30, officers caught up with Kahoalii-Heath and Asagra, along with a 20-year-old woman, within a stolen Jeep Cherokee in the Kona Palisades subdivision. Officers also discovered the suspects left a silver-colored Honda Civic at the scene with an AR-15 rifle lying on the front passenger seat.
The Jeep fled the area and was later located on Kupuna Street in Kailua-Kona where Kahoalii-Heath, and another woman, who was not charged with a crime, were taken into custody without incident. Asagra was later located by officers on Highway 180, where he was also taken into custody without incident.
Police said four stolen vehicles were recovered and returned to their rightful owners following the investigation. In addition, stolen firearms, ammunition, and illicit narcotics were also located.
Asagra, whose trial is set for January 2022 in connection with the December 2020, later posted $500,000 bail. Bail was revoked after Asagra was charged with second-degree murder and first-degree arson in June in connection with the May 25 shooting death of Joey Richmond,46 , at the end of Keauhou-Kainaliu Beach Road, locally known as “End of the World.”
Trial for the murder case is slated for February 2022. Asagra has entered not guilty pleas to the charges.
