KAILUA-KONA — Ian Paleka will stand trial in connection to a string of burglaries across Kona spanning several months and resulting in more than $28,000 in stolen property.
At Paleka’s preliminary hearing Thursday in District Court, Judge Margaret Masunaga found probable cause to move the 44-year-old Kona man’s case to Circuit Court for trial.
She set Paleka’s arraignment for Feb. 15 at 11:30 a.m., where he will enter pleas against charges including four counts of second-degree burglary, two counts of first-degree burglary, unauthorized control of a propelled vehicle, unauthorized possession of confidential personal information and third-degree theft.
Paleka’s bail remains set at $47,500, though the defense called for a bail study, which Masunaga granted. The defense requested it be completed by or before Feb. 15.
The prosecution called eight witnesses Thursday, six victims of Paleka’s alleged spree of burglary and theft as well as two Hawaii Police Department investigators. The defense called no witnesses to the stand.
Through the course of the proceedings, it became clear police initially arrested Paleka in connection with the theft of cash, checks and two swords from Ohana Martial Arts Non-Profit Self-Defense School on Kuakini Highway. However, information gleaned through the course of other investigations led authorities to believe the suspect may have been connected to other crimes.
HPD Detective Donovan Kohara, who questioned Paleka following his arrest, took the stand last. He said after police read Paleka his rights and the suspect declined to retain an attorney, the conversation moved to the theft from Ohana Martial Arts.
“He told us he broke in,” Kohara testified.
Kohara went on to say that during his police interview, Paleka confessed to stealing multiple air conditioning units from a storage unit at Kona MarketPlace, tools and power tools from OneSource Distributors, a silver 2017 Volkswagen Tiguan from Extra Space Storage, as well as tools and a Bluetooth speaker from a carpenter working at the Volcano Grill during a renovation period.
Paleka also confessed to stealing a dirt bike, saxophone and power tools from one personal residence, along with cash and a .44 Magnum firearm from another home, Kohara testified.
Nearly all of the items Kohara said Paleka mentioned during the police interrogation on Feb. 4 were previously noted as stolen by the six victims who took the stand Thursday before investigators.
Debbie Kama, of Equitable Services Inc., who at the behest of a banking institution repossessed the Volkswagen Paleka allegedly stole, testified that the suspect called her bail bonds service this week looking to acquire its help.
Kama testified she believes Paleka was unaware he was speaking to the person from whom he stole the Volkswagen. She said she then asked him where the vehicle was. He responded that he’d sold it to someone and told her where she could find it.
“Mr. Paleka told me yesterday where (the car) was,” Kama testified. “I had my team out there all morning and the car isn’t there.”
Most of the items stolen during the theft and burglary spree, with which police have charged Paleka, have yet to be recovered. Public defender Joanna Sokolow pointed out during the proceedings that none of what has been recovered was in Paleka’s possession.
Police were able to connect Paleka to all of the crimes based on testimony from two other individuals who were placed under arrest before Paleka was a suspect. Authorities tied Paleka to the burglary at Ohana Martial Arts via information provided by Joseph Fournier and Jessica Minamishin.
Fournier had been arrested by VICE officers and was in custody on separate charges when he gave police Paleka’s name in connection with stolen tools, to which Fournier led the police. However, the tools were located at Fournier’s residence, not Paleka’s.
It was also Fournier who returned one of the two swords stolen from Ohana Martial Arts. Detective Carrie Akina testified that Fournier told her during an interview that Paleka gave him the sword because he owed Fournier money. But when Fournier saw on Facebook the sword was stolen, he told Akina he contacted Tara Brown at Ohana Martial Arts and returned it.
Brown confirmed in her testimony that Fournier had returned the sword. However, Akina explained that the first time she questioned Fournier about the sword, he told her he’d bought it off a “scrawny white man.”
A check in an amount of nearly $3,500 taken from Ohana Martial Arts was also recovered after Minamishin tried to cash it at Hawaii Community Federal Credit Union.
Testimony showed a discrepancy in her initial story, during which she told Akina she got scared and left the credit union during the process of trying to cash the check. Surveillance cameras show, however, the check and Minamishin’s personal identification were returned to her before she exited the building. It was Fournier who drove her to the credit union in an attempt to cash the check.
At this point, neither Fournier or Minamishin have been charged in connection with any of the crimes Paleka is alleged to have committed. Sokolow asked Akina if they will be.
“I hope they are,” Akina said.