A 20-year-old man is facing felony burglary and other offenses following a reported burglary early Tuesday in Kealakekua.
At 4:36 a.m. Tuesday, Hawaii County Police Department officers responded to a report of a burglary in progress at an apartment complex on Kiloa Road, according to police.
A 75-year-old woman reported that she awoke to find an unknown man in a green hooded sweatshirt rummaging though items in her apartment, according to police. After the suspect ran from the apartment, the woman discovered that her purse had been removed from her truck.
Responding officers saw a man wearing clothing matching the description of the suspect and detained him, according to police. Further investigation linked him to the burglary.
John Small of Captain Cook was arrested and taken to the Kona police cellblock while detectives from the Area II Criminal Investigations Section continued the investigation. Police reportedly located property belonging to the woman and other property that had been removed from another vehicle at the same apartment complex. They also reportedly located 4.9 grams of marijuana.
On Wednesday afternoon, Small was charged with first-degree burglary, two counts of unauthorized entry of a motor vehicle, two counts of theft, and one count each of theft of a credit card, unauthorized possession of personal information and promoting a detrimental drug, according to police. His bail was set at $68,000.
He remained at the cellblock pending his initial court appearance on Thursday (March 6).