HILO — A plea deal is in the works for a 29-year-old Puna man accused of two armed carjackings and an attempted armed carjacking last month.
Mason David Beck waived a preliminary hearing Tuesday and was ordered by Hilo District Judge Harry Freitas to appear for arraignment and plea at 8 a.m. April 24 before Hilo Circuit Judge Greg Nakamura.
“He’s been given an opportunity, should he choose, to plead (guilty) upstairs to a concurrent sentence without enhancements,” Deputy Prosecutor Rick Damerville told the judge. “And that (offer) will remain open for 30 days after all the discovery is (turned over to the defense) and his attorney has had an opportunity to go over with it with him.”
Beck is charged with two counts each of first-degree robbery and unauthorized control of a stolen vehicle, plus single counts of attempted first-degree robbery and kidnapping. The robbery, attempted robbery and kidnapping charges are all Class A felonies carrying possible 20-year prison terms upon conviction. The unauthorized control charges are Class C felonies carrying possible five-year prison sentences.
If Beck were to be indicted on those charges, the prosecution would have the option to seek enhanced sentencing because of multiple felonies, but the plea deal would prevent that or consecutive sentences on the felony charges from occurring. That means Beck faces a possible 20 years in prison.
On three occasions during the past month, Beck allegedly stole or attempted to steal the vehicles of three men who picked him up hitchhiking in Puna.
In the first incident, Beck allegedly threatened the driver with a carpenter’s nail gun. In the other two cases, the alleged weapon was a knife.
The drivers in the first two incidents, a 37-year-old man from Germany and a 66-year-old Big Island resident, got out of their cars as ordered, and the alleged carjacker drove away in their vehicles.
In the third case, the alleged victim, a 25-year-old California man, reportedly told police he stopped the car when he reached a populated area and honked the horn, causing the would-be alleged carjacker to get out of the vehicle and flee.
No one was physically injured in any of the carjackings, police said.