Debbie Kuamoo, Marcus Langford,Joel Estrella Jr
Tuesday, 15 January 2008
Debbie Kuamoo, 53, and Marcus Langford, 23, were ordered to obtain drug assessments as part of their five years’ probation.
Kuamoo was sentenced Tuesday to a two-month jail term, while her nephew Langford was sentenced Thursday to six months behind bars.
The two were among four people arrested following a July 29 police stakeout, prompted by an increase in car break-ins, at Honolua Bay.
Two Chrysler sedans and a Chrysler passenger van were broken into that day.
After police observed the break-ins, the suspects led officers on a high-speed chase, throwing out stolen property, including a camcorder, laptop computer and ukulele, said Deputy Prosecutor Angela Correa. Because of the danger to the community, police called off the chase, Correa said.
The suspects abandoned the truck they were in and ran, she said, but officers captured one man and arrested the other three suspects a few days later.
Five people were victimized in the break-ins, Correa said.
Both Kuamoo and Langford pleaded no contest to three counts of first-degree unauthorized entry into a motor vehicle, two counts of second-degree theft and theft of a credit card.
During separate sentencing hearings, both defendants apologized.
“I have made bad choices,” Kuamoo said in court Tuesday.
Her attorney, Walter Vierra, said Kuamoo was working full time and had no prior felony convictions.
“It was just a momentary lapse in judgment,” Vierra said.
After testing positive for methamphetamine use in September, Kuamoo had tested clean five subsequent times, Vierra said.
“Given a chance to do things over, I’d do it very different,” Langford said as he was sentenced Thursday.
He hoped to earn the equivalent of a high school diploma, said Deputy Public Defender Shelly Miyashiro. She said Langford’s participation was as a “follower.”
But Correa described Langford as the one who looked into the cars to see what was there to steal.
At the time, he was on probation in two other cases for convictions for abuse and attempted third-degree assault.
“Apparently, being monitored and being placed on probation is not deterring him from committing crimes in our community,” Correa said.
Cardoza denied both defendants’ requests for a chance to keep the convictions off their records.
“You folks were moving around the island, looking for easy targets and you found them,” the judge said while sentencing Kuamoo. “You had the tools to break into the cars and you stole. It seems to have been done with relative ease and not a lot of concern for the welfare of the community or for other people.
“This is one type of crime that has really wreaked havoc in this community.”
Kuamoo and Langford were ordered to pay $945 in restitution, along with Langford’s sister, Brandy Kinoshita, 30.
She was sentenced last month to a six-month jail term and five years’ probation for her role in the break-ins.
A fourth defendant, Joel Estrella Jr., 25, is awaiting trial.
