Prosecuting Attorney Charlene Y. Iboshi announced that on June 29, 2012, Third Circuit Court Judge Glenn S. Hara rejected the request by Pahoa resident Jason Shrader, 29, to defer his guilty plea to one count of theft in the second degree and sentenced him to 5 years of probation for that offense. As conditions of his probation, Shrader was ordered to serve 35 days in jail with credit for 35 days in jail already served, and to pay a mandatory fine of $1,790.56.
Investigation by the Hawai‘i Police Department revealed that on April 16, 2012, Shrader entered a retail store in Hilo, stuffed merchandise into a backpack, and left the store with stolen merchandise having a value of $447.64. He was caught leaving the store by loss prevention agents and held for the police.
Theft in the second degree is a class “C” felony punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000. If a defendant shoplifts property having a value exceeding $300, there is a mandatory fine equal to 4 times the value of property stolen for a first offense. The mandatory fine is double that amount for a subsequent offense.
Because the judge denied Shrader’s request to defer his guilty plea, Shrader now has a felony conviction on his criminal record.
Iboshi said shoplifters in Hawai‘i County are caught, arrested, prosecuted, and upon conviction, many times go to jail
