Ocean View man charged with stealing a Jeep and possessing methamphetamine : Big Island Now


January 24, 2023 11:52 am HST

Benjamin Kawika Jerin Kealoha

Ocean View’s Benjamin Kawika Jerin Kealoha, 46, was charged with resisting a stop order and drug possession and stealing a Jeep rental car after being arrested in Kona on January 21.

Jerin Kealoha was also arrested on two unrelated warrants, according to a news release from the office of prosecutor Kelden Waltgen.

He is scheduled to appear in Kona District Court for the first time today. He remains in custody in lieu of his $47,000 bail.

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Jerin-Kealoha was charged with first-degree theft of a motor vehicle, first-class propulsion vehicle rigging, possession of methamphetamine, resisting a first-degree suspension order, and driving without a license.

The most serious crime, jeep theft, is a class B felony punishable by 10 years in prison or 4 years’ probation and up to 18 months in prison.

Jerin-Kealoha has other criminal records on the Big Island, including being charged with a property crime of robbery reported at Ocean View in 2021.

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If you have information to assist your local law enforcement, please call Crime Stoppers at 808-961-8300.


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