A Hilo man and woman are facing burglary and theft charges stemming from a vehicle break-in and two separate burglaries in East Hawaii.
Shortly after 7 a.m. Thursday, a person reported to the Hawaii Police Department seeing a man breaking into a vehicle in the Hilo Bayfront area. The man, after being confronted by the reporting party, left in a vehicle being driven by a woman.
The vehicle was later located by South Hilo patrol officers in the area of the University of Hawaii at Hilo, according to police.
At 7:50 a.m. Thursday, police arrested 33-year-old Aubrey A. Harper and 37-year-old Gregory P. Harper, both of Hilo. The two were taken to the Hilo police cellblock while officers continued the investigation, which police say revealed the couple may have been involved in two separate burglaries earlier in the week in Puna.
On March 1, the caretaker of a Kalapana Seaview Estates home reported confronting a man and a woman leaving a home on Moaniala Street. The pair left in a vehicle with items that had been removed from the home, according to police. On March 2, a Leilani Estates woman reported finding that her home on Malama Street had been broken into and that a television and other items had been removed from within.
Officers were able to locate and recover some of the items removed in the burglaries and link them to the couple, according to police.
On Friday, Aubrey A. Harper was charged with two counts first-degree burglary, second-degree theft, fourth-degree theft, second-degree reckless endangering and a variety of traffic offenses, according to police. Her bail was set at $14,275.
Gregory P. Harper was charged the same day with two counts first-degree burglary, second-degree theft, unauthorized entry into a motor vehicle, fourth-degree theft and resisting arrest, according to police. His bail was set at $14,750.
The couple appeared in court on Monday where they requested preliminary hearings, which were scheduled for Tuesday afternoon. During the hearing, the state will work to show it has sufficient evidence to support the charges.