By JOHN BURNETT
By JOHN BURNETT
Tribune-Herald staff writer
A Kona grand jury indicted three individuals on burglary and other charges last week.
Police say 25-year-old Joseph Augustino Narzisi of Kealakekua is part of an organized burglary ring believed to be responsible for a rash of burglaries in Kona and whom Assistant Police Chief Paul Kealoha referred to in a public meeting last week as “iceheads” who burglarize homes “to support a habit.”
The other two, 32-year-old Jeffry Beban Jr. and 29-year-old Crystal Beban, both of Waikoloa, are a brother and sister police believe are responsible for several burglaries in Waikoloa.
Two indictments charge Narzisi with 33 separate offenses, including a burglary on Aug. 13 on Alihilani Place in Kailua-Kona. He is also charged with terroristic threatening, third-degree assault, firearms violations, methamphetamine trafficking, possession of methamphetamine, heroin, morphine, testosterone and alprazolam, an anti-anxiety pharmaceutical marketed as Xanax, drug paraphernalia, possession of more than an ounce of marijuana, second-degree theft, driving after license revoked for DUI and resisting an order to stop.
Narzisi was arrested Aug. 29 in an islandwide fugitive warrant sweep. Police say officers recovered 63.3 grams of crystal methamphetamine, almost a gram of heroin, prescription pills, and numerous items of paraphernalia after serving a search warrant on the Kalaoa apartment where he was found.
According to the indictment, Narzisi was also in possession of three laptop computers, an iPad, a gold bracelet and a U.S. savings bond reported stolen by others.
He remains in custody at Hawaii Community Correctional Center in lieu of $495,000 bail.
Jeffry Beban Jr. was indicted on five counts of burglary, four counts of second-degree theft and one count of third-degree theft. He is alleged to have committed five home burglaries in Waikoloa between Aug. 11 and 18, stealing computers, iPads, an iPod with dock and clock, plus camera, jewelry, clothes, trees, art, a video game and other property.
In one of the burglaries, on Aug. 14, a Waikoloa couple told police they saw a man leaving the driveway of their Lina-Poepoe Street home. The man claimed he had been in their back yard rescuing a dog from the swimming pool. When the couple went inside, they discovered that a screen had been removed and two laptop computers were missing, police said.
His sister, Crystal Beban, has also been indicted for two of the same alleged burglaries and second-degree thefts.
Burglary reports in Kona increased from 20 in July to 43 in August, while in South Kohala, burglary reports went from four to 18 during the same time frame.
Since the public meeting in Kona, police say they’ve located five individuals they allege are associated with Narzisi and who were wanted on criminal charges or for questioning in criminal investigations. They are: Ryan Jeffries-Hamar, Curtis “Hoku” Kekahuna Jr., Joshua Watan, Michael Galon, Sean Gregory and Nicole Adams.
Jeffries-Hamar, 31, of Kailua-Kona, was arrested and charged Sept. 8 for allegedly escaping from Hale Nani Correctional Center on Aug. 14 and violating terms of his furlough. He remains in custody at Hawaii Community Correctional Center in lieu of $10,000 bail.
Watan, 31, of Kealakekua was arrested and charged Friday with failure to maintain bail or bond. His bail was set at $32,000 and he was in custody at HCCC on Monday evening.
Kekahuna, 36, of Waimea was arrested and charged Friday with violating probation, promoting a dangerous drug, drug paraphernalia, failure to maintain bail or bond and two counts of contempt of court. His bail was set at $32,500, but he was no longer in custody as of Monday evening, an official at HCCC said.
Police are still seeking two 24-year-old Kailua-Kona men they allege are associates of Narzisi, Joel Landsborough and Danny Estocado Jr.
Landsborough is wanted for for contempt of court. He is described as 5-foot-8 and about 145 pounds with brown eyes and brown hair. He has a tattoo of the Hawaiian islands on the right side of his chest.
Estocado is wanted for questioning about an auto theft.
He is described as 5-foot-7 and about 178 pounds with brown eyes and black hair. He has a tribal-type tattoo on the left side of his chest.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.