Police arrest man on burglary, drug charges

A 19-year-old Hilo man has been charged with burglary, theft and drug offenses in connection with items reported stolen from homes in Hilo.

At 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, officers arrested Keenan Acia on a bench warrant for violating probation as he was walking on Puainako Street. He was in possession of a backpack that had been removed from a home on Kapulani Street on Monday, police said in a written statement.

Acia was taken to the Hilo police cellblock while detectives investigated. Vice officers executed a search warrant on the backpack and recovered drug paraphernalia.

At 4 p.m Tuesday, Acia, who was still in custody, was arrested on suspicion of burglary for two houses on Kapulani Street that had been broken into on Monday.

Later in the day, an 80-year-old man reported that a generator and golf clubs had been removed from his house on Melani Street. Police served a search warrant on another Melani Street home, where Acia lived with relatives, and found the golf clubs. While police were at there, they discovered a 55-inch flat-screen television belonging to the relatives had been removed from the home.

On Wednesday, Acia appeared in court on the probation violation and was then taken to Hawaii Community Correctional Center.

The same day, detectives executed a search warrant at a home on 22nd Avenue in Hawaiian Paradise Park, where they recovered additional items that had been removed from one of the homes on Kapualani Street. The following day, police recovered the stolen TV and additional items from one of the homes on Kapualani Street.

At 2 p.m. Thursday, detectives charged Acia with burglary, attempted burglary, two counts of theft, two counts of promoting a dangerous drug and two counts of possessing drug paraphernalia. His bail was set at $78,000.

His initial court appearance on those offenses is scheduled for today.