At 2:35 p.m., police were first called to a report of a shoplifter from a business establishment in the 92-8600 block of Lotus Blossom Lane in Ocean View. The suspect, an unidentified man, left the business with merchandise valued in excess of $6 prior to the arrival of the police.
Around 3:00 p.m., a 74-year-old Ocean View man told police that while he was at home, an unidentified man entered his residence in the 92-1400 block of Lū`au Drive without permission. The suspect briefly remained in the home before leaving on foot. Nothing was reportedly taken from the house and the victim was not injured.
Then at 3:06 p.m., a 51-year-old Ocean View woman reported that an unidentified man approached her residence, also in 92-1400 block of Lū`au Drive, opened the gate to the porch and walked onto her lanai, but did not enter the residence. The victim, who was at home at the time, yelled at the suspect to leave. The suspect then walked to the driveway and entered the victim’s vehicle before leaving the property on foot. The victim was not injured, nor was anything reportedly taken from the vehicle.
Minutes later at 3:09 p.m., police received another call of an unidentified man attempting to take items from a carport before entering the front door of a home in the 92-8800 block of Hawai`i Boulevard. The homeowner, a 72-year-old man, told police that his 67-year-old wife was in the house and the suspect had just stepped through the door when he pulled the suspect out of the house. The suspect then walked around the home taking items before leaving on foot. No one was injured and the victim recovered his stolen items.
At 3:55 p.m. at the intersection of Hawai`i Boulevard and Lū`au Drive, police arrested Edison Jitiam of Ocean View without incident on suspicion of theft. He was taken to the Nā‘ālehu Police Station while investigators with the Ka‘ū Patrol Division continued the investigation.
After linking Jitiam to the four incidents and conferring with the Hawai‘i County Prosecutor’s Office on Sunday evening, police charged Jitiam with two counts of second-degree unauthorized entry into a dwelling, and one count each of fourth-degree theft, second-degree unauthorized entry into a motor vehicle, and second-degree criminal trespass. His bail was set at $11,000.
Jitiam was later transported to the Kona cellblock where he is currently being held pending an initial court appearance on Monday, October 11, in Kona District Court.
Anyone who may have information about these incidents is asked to call the police department’s non-emergency number at (808) 935-3311 or Officer Wilson Gani of the Ka‘ū Patrol Division at (808) 939-2520.
Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous may call the island-wide Crime Stoppers number at (808) 961-8300 and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.00. Crime Stoppers is a volunteer program run by ordinary citizens who want to keep their community safe. Crime Stoppers does not record calls.