LIHUE — A Good Samaritan who had her purse stolen by a hitchhiker she stopped to help said her life was forever changed by the event. Ross Levell of Kapaa was given felony probation and five months credit for time served
LIHUE — A Good Samaritan who had her purse stolen by a hitchhiker she stopped to help said her life was forever changed by the event.
Ross Levell of Kapaa was given felony probation and five months credit for time served on Wednesday in 5th Circuit Court.
“It is unfortunate that someone was victimized simply for trying to help out another person in need, but we are pleased that the perpetrator was brought to justice,” said County Prosecuting Attorney Justin Kollar. “We remind the public to please exercise caution in picking up hitchhikers.”
State Deputy Public Defender John Calma said the theft was to feed an addiction. The defendant has done well on supervised release and is remorseful, he added.
The victim spoke before the court, describing herself as a hard-working restaurant server since the age of 14. She believes that kind acts have a ripple effect, which is why she picked up Levell, who she saw hitchhiking at night, on her way home from work.
The victim had more than $1,300 cash in the purse, the accumulation of tips for that month, and was going to pay rent with the money. Once they were driving through Kapaa near the area of Akoa Road, the defendant allegedly snatched the driver’s purse and exited the vehicle.
The theft forced the victim to use her savings to pay the rent and left her unable to travel to attend the funeral of her grandmother who passed away soon after.
“This incident has affected me financially, emotionally, and spiritually,” the victim said.
Levell was arraigned on the second-degree theft charge via a felony information complaint on July 31, 2013. He entered a no contest plea on Nov. 10, 2013 and was granted supervised release on April 9, 2014.
The victim said that she was told Levell took the cash and tossed the purse in the tall grass behind a line of stores in Kapaa. It was never recovered and she feared further crimes resulting from identity theft would occur from Levell or others who might have picked up the bag.
Deputy County Prosecuting Attorney Ginger Grinpas said the impact of the crime was far-reaching. She asked the court to deny the deferred acceptance of sentence request, in addition to ordering a free-standing order for restitution that would require repayment beyond the period of probation.
Grinpas said the defendant was on methamphetamine, Oxycodone and morphine at the time of the offense. She asked for Hawaii’s Opportunity Probation with Enforcement since the defendant was not accepted to Drug Court.
Watanabe denied the defendant’s motion for deferred acceptance. She also denied his request to be sentenced as a first-time property offender. Instead, Watanabe ordered restitution in the amount of $1,344 to the victim, and placed Levell on a four-year term of felony HOPE for close supervision of high-risk offenders.
Levell was given credit for nearly five months jail time served at Kauai Community Correctional Center. He was also ordered to undergo a substance abuse evaluation and any other program as determined necessary by HOPE.
Watanabe said she had to balance the significance of the robbery and theft and the consequences suffered by the victim against the clear progress of the defendant.
“It was a tough life lesson,” Watanabe said about the victim picking up a hitchhiker late at night who was high on drugs.
