Wailua resident Daniel Bonnano pleaded guilty to damage and theft charges last week in relation to a high-speed chase in Lihu‘e April 27. A Kilauea woman was also arrested on theft charges in relation to the incident, but those charges
Wailua resident Daniel Bonnano pleaded guilty to damage and theft charges last week in relation to a high-speed chase in Lihu‘e April 27.
A Kilauea woman was also arrested on theft charges in relation to the incident, but those charges were dismissed, said county deputy prosecuting attorney Jennifer Winn.
As the result of a plea bargain, Winn said, Bonnano pleaded guilty to second-degree criminal property damage and second-degree theft, two class-C felonies punishable by five years in prison.
The charges against Trombley were dismissed without prejudice, Winn said, meaning they could be brought back. But she added that the charges would likely be completely dismissed, or with prejudice, when Bonnano is sentenced.
The charges stem from a high-speed chase involving as many as eight Kaua‘i Police Department vehicles and cars reaching speeds of over 75 mph through Lihu‘e.
According to police, officers received a report that occupants of a vehicle, described by witnesses as a small, off-white Toyota sedan, stole items from the Home Depot store in Kukui Grove Village West.
The car, driven by Bonnano and containing Trombley, refused to stop when officers spotted them on Haleko Road in Lihu‘e.
According to county Public Information Officer Cyndi Mei Ozaki, police officers chased the vehicle down Rice Street, past Nawiliwili Harbor, past Kukui Grove, onto Kaumuali‘i Highway, and back through Lihu‘e onto Kuhio Highway.
In Kapaia, in the vicinity of Ken Silva’s Auto Body, the car was boxed in by KPD vehicles, and the two were arrested.
At points during the chase, the vehicles hit speeds over 75 mph, and the Toyota hit a police car on the passenger side, causing damage.
Trombley said in a phone call to TGI that she was in the back of the car at the time of the chase, and was unaware of the theft. She added that she was unable to see what was happening, due to her location in the back seat of the car.
In the phone conversation, she stated she wanted her name cleared, since the charges were dismissed.
Staff Writer Tom Finnegan may be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 252) or tfinnegan@pulitzer.net.
