Alleged Puna burglar nabbed while in the act

A 30-year-old Puna man police say was apprehended while in the act of burglarizing a Hawaiian Beaches home has waived a preliminary hearing.

Hilo District Judge Jeffrey Hawk on Monday ordered Michael Ikaika Anderson to appear Dec. 30 for arraignment and plea in Hilo Circuit Court.

Anderson’s bail was reduced from $17,000 to $9,000 during his initial appearance Thursday before Hilo District Judge Kanani Laubach. Anderson remained in custody at Hawaii Community Correctional Center, unable to post bail.

Anderson is charged with first-degree burglary, second-degree unauthorized entry to a motor vehicle, methamphetamine possession and third-degree property damage.

The most serious offense, first-degree burglary, is a Class B felony punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment upon conviction.

According to police, Puna patrol officers responded at about 11:15 a.m. Tuesday to a residence in the 15-2700 block of Lai Street, after the homeowner reported activity on a video surveillance system that led the homeowner to believe a burglary was in progress.

Officers arrived about 10 minutes later and saw a broken living room window. No one was found in the residence itself, but a search of a locked Toyota pickup truck registered to the homeowner, which was parked in the attached garage, resulted in Anderson being discovered and apprehended.

Detectives executed a search warrant on a backpack found at the scene and discovered property that may be linked to another burglary in the same subdivision.

Also found in the backpack, police said, was a pipe and a small amount of methamphetamine.

Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.