A 57-year-old Mountain View man is accused of stealing a 65-year-old Papaaloa man’s Mercedes at gunpoint, assaulting the victim, stealing three firearms from the elderly man and burglarizing the property of another Papaaloa resident.
According to the complaint, Wayne E. Gonsalves is charged with first-degree robbery, first-degree assault, first-degree burglary, four counts of first-degree theft and a single-count of second-degree theft. All the charges stem from an incident on June 6.
The document states that Gonsalves, armed with a firearm, used force against the victim and “intentionally and/or knowingly caused serious bodily injury” to the man.
In addition to the automobile, Gonsalves also allegedly stole a Remington shotgun, a semi-automatic rifle and a Colt revolver from the victim. All firearm thefts are first-degree theft according to Hawaii law.
Documents available as of Monday didn’t specify whether it was the victim’s shotgun that was used in the robbery.
Gonsalves is also charged with taking more than $750 in cash from the man, which is second-degree theft, and entering a home on Mauka Cross Road belonging to another victim with “intent to commit” theft, leading to the burglary charge.
At Gonsalves’ initial court appearance on Friday, private attorney Stanton Oshiro was appointed by the court to represent Gonsalves at taxpayer expense.
Hilo District Judge Kanani Laubach denied a defense motion to free Gonsalves on supervised release, a form of cashless bail, or to reduce Gonsalves’ bail amount.
Laubach ordered Gonsalves to return to court at 2:30 p.m. Thursday for a preliminary hearing.
The most severe charge, first-degree robbery, is a Class A felony punishable by up to 20 years imprisonment, upon conviction. The first-degree assault and first-degree burglary and first-degree theft charges are Class B felonies that carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. Second-degree theft is a Class C felony with a potential five-year prison sentence.
Gonsalves remains in custody at Hawaii Community Correctional Center in lieu of $210,000 bail.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com
