WAILUKU, Maui (AP) — A Lanai man who took a golf cart and went for a joy ride near the Four Seasons Resort before crashing the vehicle has been sentenced to one year of probation.
Twenty-three-year-old Gilbert Bolo was sentenced Wednesday after he pleaded no contest to unauthorized entry into a motor vehicle in connection with the April 2015 incident, The Maui News reported (http://bit.ly/1Sl9fI6).
Bolo’s attorney, Jared Brickey, said his client had been drinking with a friend at the hotel when they spotted the golf cart and decided to go for a joy ride. Both Bolo and his passenger were injured when the vehicle crashed on a private road near the resort.
“It was kind of like bad karma for taking the golf cart without permission,” Brickey said. “Unfortunately, both him and his co-responsible suffered injuries. It was kind of a harsh lesson for him to learn.”
Deputy Prosecutor Jeffery Temas said hotel security employees had watched the golf cart being driven away and found it overturned on the road near Manele Bay. Bolo and his friend left the scene, but police found evidence linking them to the crime, Temas said.
Second Circuit Judge Rhonda Loo said letters to the court described Bolo as a good and responsible person.
He apologized in court Wednesday “for my poor judgment and reckless behavior,” and has since paid $840 in restitution for the damaged golf cart.
“I think the golf cart won this race,” said Loo after seeing photos of the damaged vehicle. “It’s clear this was a joy ride that almost turned into a jail ride.”