Judge finds probable cause for trial in stolen T-H van case

A judge last week found that there is probable cause to try a 23-year-old Hilo man on charges he allegedly stole a van March 9 from the Hawaii Tribune-Herald’s production facility in downtown Hilo.

Hilo District Judge Kanani Laubach made her ruling Wednesday in the case of Dylan Riley Balangatan after a preliminary hearing. She ordered Balangatan — who is free on supervised release, a form of cashless bail — to appear at 8:30 a.m. April 9 before Hilo Circuit Judge Henry Nakamoto for arraignment and plea.

Balangatan is charged with first-degree theft and unauthorized control of a propelled vehicle (auto theft).

A Tribune-Herald employee reported at about 11:26 a.m. on March 9 that the newspaper’s van had been stolen from the premises sometime between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m. that morning.

A little after 4 a.m. on March 10, another employee of the newspaper spotted the stolen van parked in the parking lot of another business in the 1300 block of Kinoole Street. Officers responded and allegedly found Balangatan seated in the driver’s seat of the stolen van with its engine running.

He was taken into custody and later charged.

First-degree theft is a Class B felony punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment, upon conviction, while unauthorized control of a propelled vehicle is a Class C felony that carries a potential five-year prison sentence.

Balangatan has no prior criminal convictions in Hawaii. He does, however, have an unrelated second-degree theft case from 2023 which is currently active. He’s scheduled for further proceedings in that case at 8 a.m. June 7 before Hilo Circuit Judge Peter Kubota.

Second-degree theft is a Class C felony.

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