Bail reduced for Waimea man accused of credit card theft

A judge on Wednesday reduced bail from $147,000 to $80,000 for a 44-year-old Waimea man accused of breaking into a vehicle Monday, stealing a wallet with bank cards and using them at several Waimea business establishments.

Kona District Judge Margaret Masunaga reduced bail for Tay Emmett Kealakai Carson at the request of Deputy Public Defender Ann Datta.

Carson, who remains in custody at Hawaii Community Correctional Center, was ordered to appear at 2:30 p.m. today for a preliminary hearing in South Kohala District Court in Waimea.

According to police, officers responded to a report of stolen items from a vehicle parked in front of a Waimea home. Investigators found the bank cards had been used and identified Carson as the suspect, police said.

Carson was charged with first-degree unauthorized entry to a motor vehicle, first-degree theft, unauthorized possession of confidential personal information, attempted fraudulent use of a credit card, attempted third-degree identity theft, two counts each of fraudulent use of a credit card and habitual property crime, and four counts of third-degree identity theft.

The most serious charge, first-degree theft, is a Class B felony. He faces the first-degree theft charge because the amount allegedly stolen exceeded $300, and the offense occurred during the declared civil emergency because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The complaint does not identify the businesses where the cards were allegedly used or the precise amount of the reportedly fraudulent transactions.

Carson was sentenced in 2019 to five years probation for habitual property crime. Court records indicate he failed to appear for an Oct. 21 resentencing hearing, and a bench warrant was issued for his arrest in that case.

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