A 3rd Circuit Court judge on Monday sentenced a 27-year-old Hilo man to probation and jail following his guilty plea to theft. Hilo man sentenced for shoplifting ADVERTISING A 3rd Circuit Court judge on Monday sentenced a 27-year-old Hilo man
Hilo man sentenced
for shoplifting
A 3rd Circuit Court judge on Monday sentenced a 27-year-old Hilo man to probation and jail following his guilty plea to theft.
Ian Pilcher was sentenced to 60 days in jail, three years probation and received a $3,774.92 fine for his guilty plea to one count of second-degree theft, according to the Hawaii County Office of the Prosecuting Attorney.
The sentence, handed down by Judge Glenn S. Hara, rejected a request by Pilcher to defer acceptance of his guilty plea to the theft offense, according to the office.
The theft charge stems from a Hawaii Police Department investigation that determined Pilcher on Nov. 14 entered a Hilo retail store, ripped the price tag off a diaper bag and subsequently filled the bag with more than $900 worth of video games, according to the office. He then left the store without paying for the items, but was stopped by store security.
Second-degree theft is a class C felony punishable by up to five years imprisonment and a fine up to $10,000, according to the office.
Woman critically injured after
jumping out of truck
Big Island police are seeking witnesses to an early Saturday traffic accident in which a Waimea woman apparently jumped from a moving pickup truck in North Kohala.
The 26-year-old woman was critically injured in the accident, according to the Hawaii Police Department. Police were summoned around 1:45 a.m. to North Hawaii Community Hospital where they learned the woman had reportedly jumped from a truck traveling at 55 mph.
The dark blue four-door Dodge Ram pickup truck was reportedly traveling on Akoni Pule Highway between midnight and 1:30 a.m. and heading in the Kona direction, according to police. The case has been classified as a negligent injury.
The woman was later transferred in critical condition to The Queen’s Medical Center on Oahu for additional treatment, according to police.
Anyone who may have witnessed the accident or with information on the truck should call the department’s nonemergency line at 935-3311. Those who prefer to remain anonymous may call Crime Stoppers at 329-8181 in Kona or 961-8300 in Hilo. All Crime Stoppers information is kept confidential.
North Kohala police, community meet April 17
North Kohala residents concerned about police operations in the 133-square-mile district will have the chance to express their feelings during an April 17 community meeting in Kapaau.
The two-hour meeting, which gives residents a chance to not only meet with the department’s command staff but also express their concerns, is slated to begin at noon at the Kohala Intergenerational Center.
The community meetings, which are rotated monthly between the island’s eight police districts, aid police in addressing specific community concerns, officials say. To focus specifically on North Kohala district concerns, police ask that only those who live or work in the area attend the meeting.
Those interested in participating, but who are unable to attend the meeting, can call Capt. Albert Jason Cortez at 889-6540 or stop by the North Kohala Police Station in Kapaau. An email with concerns and comments can also be sent to copsysop@hawaiipolice.com.
Police arrest 27
for suspected DUI
Police arrested 27 for suspected drunken driving between March 26 and Sunday; six were involved in traffic accidents and four were younger than 21.
Police have made 368 suspected DUI arrests this year compared with 344 during the same period in 2011, according to the Hawaii Police Department.
South Hilo officers arrested 12 motorists, Kona officers nine and Puna officers four. South Kohala and Ka’u officers arrested one motorist in each district.
There have been 365 major accidents this year compared with 342 during the same period last year.
To date, there have been seven traffic fatalities on Big Island public roadways, compared with six fatalities during the same period in 2011, according to police.
Surfer hospitalized after shark bite
HONOLULU — A 28-year-old surfer suffered injuries on his left foot after he said a 10-foot-long shark bit him off Oahu’s North Shore.
Joshua Holley was paddling Tuesday when he felt something on his foot.
Honolulu lifeguard operations chief Jim Howe said the shark came up to Holley, bit him and let go, and then bit him again.
He said Holley fought off the shark with his surfboard and got a good look at it. Holley believes it was a tiger shark.
Howe said Holley was treated on the beach before being taken to Wahiawa General Hospital.
Holley is due to have minor surgery today.
Ocean safety officials are warning people to stay out of the water in the area where the attack happened. Warning signs have been posted at several North Shore beaches.
Tampa-based
WellCare agrees to $137.5M settlement
TAMPA, Fla. — Federal prosecutors said a Tampa-based health care provider has agreed to pay $137.5 million to settle four lawsuits involving fraudulent Medicare and Medicaid claims in nine states.
The U.S. Attorney in Tampa announced the settlement Tuesday.
The suits claimed WellCare Health Plans Inc. falsely inflated the amount it claimed to be spending on medical care to avoid returning the money to Medicaid and other programs. The suits also accused the company of knowingly retaining overpayments received and falsifying data that misrepresented the medical conditions of patients and treatments they received.
WellCare will make fixed payments, plus interest, over three years to the federal government and to Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, New York and Ohio.
WellCare CEO Alec Cunningham said the company is pleased matters are fully resolved.
By local and wire sources
