A 51-year-old Honomu man on 10 years probation for stabbing his housemate to death two years ago faces numerous theft- and identity theft-related charges on Oahu, as well as probation violation proceedings in Hilo.
A 51-year-old Honomu man on 10 years probation for stabbing his housemate to death two years ago faces numerous theft- and identity theft-related charges on Oahu, as well as probation violation proceedings in Hilo.
According to court records, Daniel Claude Schuster pleaded not guilty Aug. 28 in Honolulu Circuit Court to charges of second-degree identity theft, unauthorized possession of confidential personal information, attempted second-degree theft, two counts of second-degree theft, and three counts of second-degree forgery.
He was ordered to stand trial Oct. 27 before Honolulu Circuit Judge Rom Trader.
Schuster also appeared in Hilo Circuit Court Tuesday afternoon on a warrant of arrest for an alleged probation violation. Hilo Circuit Court Judge Glenn Hara scheduled a revocation hearing for 9 a.m. Nov. 13.
Schuster is in custody at Oahu Community Correctional Center in lieu of $200,000 bail, $100,000 for the Oahu charges and $100,000 for the alleged probation violation.
According to prosecutors, Schuster was authorized by his probation officer to travel to Oahu earlier this year for medical reasons but was supposed to return to Hilo in May. He reportedly asked for permission to extend his stay but was denied, and then failed to report for drug testing when ordered May 6.
It’s also alleged that Schuster failed to obtain anger management assessment as ordered.
It’s not the first time Schuster has encountered trouble with probation. On Feb. 13, Hara sentenced Schuster to four days in jail, stayed, and placed him on the more intensive and closely supervised HOPE probation program after Schuster admitted to using methamphetamine while on probation.
In March, according to court records, Schuster admitted to failing to show for a drug test, as ordered, and was sentenced to 21 days in jail.
Schuster was placed on supervised release in April before traveling to Oahu for treatment of gallstones, records state, and then missed the May drug test.
In a plea agreement with prosecutors, Schuster pleaded guilty Sept. 6, 2013, to the fatal stabbing of 30-year-old Joshua Trickel on July 22, 2012, at Schuster’s Pua Street home. The deal was struck at the request of Trickel’s mother, Leslie Peters, and one of Trickel’s sisters.
Schuster originally was charged with second-degree murder, which carries a mandatory life sentence with the possibility of parole upon conviction, as well as third-degree promotion of a dangerous drug. Two glass pipes and a ziplock bag, all containing meth residue, were found in Schuster’s home.
Schuster, a registered nurse, could have been sentenced to 20 years in prison for manslaughter. He was incarcerated for 15 months before his release from custody the day he pleaded guilty.
Peters had a change of heart during the course of the case. In August 2012, she told the Tribune-Herald that she hoped Schuster “spends the rest of his life in prison.”
Her stance softened considerably by the time Schuster was sentenced Nov. 5, 2013. She said then she supported the probation deal because her son, despite his own drug problem, was a forgiving person and would have wanted her to forgive Schuster.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.