Hawai‘i Island police arrested and charged 23-year-old Dylan Riley Balangatan of Hilo with auto theft and theft after a company van was reported stolen from a Hilo business on Saturday, March 9, 2024.
About 11:26 a.m., an employee of a business in the 300 block of Kino‘ole Street in Hilo reported that a company van was stolen from the premises sometime between 1:00 a.m. and 3:00 a.m. that morning.
A little after 4 a.m. on Sunday, March 10, an employee of the business observed the stolen van parked in the parking lot of another business in the 1300 block of Kino‘ole Street. Responding officers located Balangatan seated in the driver’s seat of the stolen van with its engine running.
Balangatan was arrested for unauthorized control of a propelled vehicle (auto theft) and was transported to the East Hawai‘i Detention Center for booking, processing, and continued investigation by detectives with Hawai‘i Police Department’s Area I Criminal Investigation Section (CIS).
On Monday, March 11, after conferring with the County Prosecutor’s Office, detectives with the Area I CIS charged Balangatan with the following offenses and his bail was set at $35,000:
- First-degree unauthorized control of a propelled vehicle (auto theft)
- First-degree theft
Balangatan is being held at the East Hawai’i Detention Center pending his initial court appearance scheduled for Tuesday, March 12, in Hilo District Court.
Those with information regarding this crime are asked to contact Detective Paul Mangus at (808) 961-2386 or paul.mangus@hawaiicounty.gov. Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous may call Crime Stoppers at (808) 961-8300 and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000. Crime Stoppers doesn’t record calls or subscribe to caller ID. All Crime Stoppers information is kept confidential.