Hele-On bus theft suspect self-reports mental health issues

A 21-year-old Hilo man accused of stealing a county Hele-On bus Saturday and causing a minor traffic collision admitted to mental health issues and drug abuse, a prosecutor revealed in court Tuesday.

Deputy Prosecutor Glenn Shiigi told Hilo District Judge Diana Van De Car that Kawelo Nakamura “poses a severe safety risk to the public.” He asked that bail for Nakamura — who is charged with first-degree theft, driving a stolen vehicle, leaving the scene of an accident, criminal property damage and driving the bus without a commercial driver’s license — be maintained at $13,000.

“As noted in the bail study, the defendant self-reported that he has been diagnosed with (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) and is bipolar, reported he is not taking his medication and currently has no regular doctor,” Shiigi said. “… He reported he has used methamphetamine, cocaine and pills in the past six months.”

Deputy Public Defender Isaac Ickes noted the bail study recommended Nakamura be freed on supervised release, which doesn’t require bail.

“Mr. Nakamura has had no other prior charges or convictions in his lifetime,” Ickes said.

Van De Car granted supervised release, with conditions including that Nakamura receive a mental health assessment and follow any recommended treatment, including taking prescribed medication, obtain supervision through a mental health case management facility, receive a substance abuse assessment and submit to random drug testing.

“The court is going to expect that these conditions are going to be followed strictly, and if they are not followed strictly, then the court is going to expect that there is going to be a prompt motion to revoke supervised release,” the judge said, and ordered Nakamura to return at 2 p.m. Aug. 24 for a preliminary hearing.

Nakamura, whom Ickes said has a clerical job for KKRB and Associates, a local Kirby vacuum distributor, was mostly silent during the brief hearing, answering all questions with “yes, Your Honor.”

According to court documents, the county Mass Transit Agency placed the bus’ value at $273,670. Documents also state Nakamura confessed to taking the bus without permission and driving it.

Curtis Sharp, a transit consultant contracted by Mayor Harry Kim, told the Tribune-Herald the bus is a 1995 model and one of seven former Honolulu city buses recently obtained by the county.

“It’s like fate just coming in and whacking you,” Sharp said.

Sharp said the bus has a switch in the engine compartment that allows a driver to start it by button. He said drivers will be responsible for making sure that switch is turned off and the engine compartment is locked when the bus isn’t in operation. He said he’s also moved to increase security measures at the Lanakila Street baseyard, which is shared with the Department of Public Works.

“They’ve got … trucks and trailers and vans, etc., coming and going all the time. So that gate is very seldom locked,” Sharp noted.

Sharp said Mass Transit will move in a few weeks into its own 5.3-acre site on Leilani Street.

“That will confine everything to one site and we’ll have control of our own security,” he said.

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