A 21-year-old Puna man pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges stemming from an auto break-in and four stolen pickups. ADVERTISING A 21-year-old Puna man pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges stemming from an auto break-in and four stolen pickups. Acting
A 21-year-old Puna man pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges stemming from an auto break-in and four stolen pickups.
Acting Hilo Circuit Judge Henry Nakamoto ordered Keanu Krause to appear for trial at 9 a.m. Nov. 6.
Krause is charged with unauthorized entry to a motor vehicle, third-degree theft, three counts of second-degree theft and four counts of unauthorized control of a stolen vehicle.
He appeared in court in custody in lieu of $94,000 bail.
A bench warrant issued Tuesday ordered Krause to have no contact with the five victims of the alleged crimes, which occurred between early April and late May.
One of the alleged victims, a Hilo man, told the Tribune-Herald on Monday that his 2003 Toyota Tacoma pickup was stolen in broad daylight May 11 from his garage, while he wasn’t home but was nearby. He said the truck wasn’t locked.
“At night I lock it, but I don’t expect them to come and take it during the day,” the man said, adding the key wasn’t in the truck and the culprit or culprits hot-wired the vehicle.
He said the police recovered the truck six days later near J. Hara Store in Kurtistown.
“They had repainted the truck; they did a fast job. The front was totally damaged; they must have hit something,” the man said.
The man said the thought of someone coming onto his property and stealing his truck left him feeling violated.
“I was very upset,” he said. “About two or three days before this happened, I was driving the truck and I was thinking it had given me good service. It was in excellent condition. I’m not going to get rid of it right now.
“It’s been very trying, feeling invaded, you know, your privacy, in the broad daylight. It made me very, very upset.”
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
