A 25-year-old Ocean View woman on Tuesday entered not guilty pleas to a slew of charges stemming from a January robbery involving a hatchet in Ka‘u. ADVERTISING A 25-year-old Ocean View woman on Tuesday entered not guilty pleas to a
A 25-year-old Ocean View woman on Tuesday entered not guilty pleas to a slew of charges stemming from a January robbery involving a hatchet in Ka‘u.
Trinety S. Crapser pleaded not guilty to first-degree robbery, second-degree attempted assault, third-degree assault, first-degree unauthorized entry into a motor vehicle and attempted unauthorized control of a propelled vehicle before 3rd Circuit Court Chief Judge Ronald Ibarra. Ibarra set trial for Crapser for 9 a.m. June 3.
Ibarra also maintained bail for Crapser at $72,000. However, Ibarra ordered an updated bail study after Crapser’s public defender, Peter Bresciani, argued during the hearing that the judge reduce the bail to $25,000. The bail study is due within one week.
During a Jan. 31 preliminary hearing held in 3rd Circuit District Court, the victim, Trudi Grentz, testified that Crapser waved a 15-inch hatchet with a 7-inch blade above her head and demanded possession of her purple Corvette Jan. 26 on South Point Road in Ka‘u.
Grentz told the court she had parked the vehicle but left it running while placing signs along the roadway, when a white car headed north on the road passed her, turned around and headed south before coming to a stop in the roadway near the Corvette. Crapser allegedly got out, walked around the Corvette and demanded possession of the vehicle.
A scuffle ensued with Grentz gaining control of the hatchet and throwing it into the bushes. Crapser entered the vehicle but was unable to start it. Grentz also testified that Crapser bit her right arm and pulled her hair while the two struggled for possession of the car keys.
During the “few-minute” struggle, Grentz said a man, later identified as 23-year-old Kainoa Kahele-Bishop, exited from the passenger side of the white vehicle, and reached into the passenger side of the Corvette and removed a large bag containing a laptop, cellphone, wallet and jewelry-making tools and supplies. The man then fled in the white car, heading southbound on South Point Road.
The women continued to struggle, until another man arrived at the scene. While waiting for police, Crapser reportedly fled. Police investigation subsequently led to the identification and arrest of Crapser on Jan. 27 and Kahele-Bishop on Jan. 30.
Kahele-Bishop, also of Ocean View, is slated for an arraignment and plea hearing Feb. 19 in connection with this Jan. 26 robbery, as well as another reported earlier that day.
During that hearing, Kahele-Bishop will enter pleas to first-degree robbery involving a dangerous instrument and force, first-degree unauthorized entry into a motor vehicle, second-degree theft, second-degree robbery involving threatened force, second-degree terroristic threatening, and third-degree theft, according to court records.
Third Circuit Ka‘u District Court Judge Andrew Wilson on Feb. 5 found probable cause to transfer the charges to 3rd Circuit Court for trial. He also maintained bail for Kahele-Bishop at $98,000.
The first-degree robbery, first-degree unauthorized entry into a motor vehicle and second-degree theft charges stem from the robbery that occurred about 9 a.m. on South Point Road in which Kahele-Bishop reportedly accompanied Crapser.
The other charges are related to a robbery involving a 48-year-old Ocean View man who recognized Kahele-Bishop’s picture in a press release and reported that he had been robbed by the same man while fishing at South Point. According to police, the man reported that he was confronted, threatened with bodily harm and robbed of an undisclosed amount of cash. Court records said the amount was greater than $100.
Police charged Kahele-Bishop with the offenses Jan. 31.
