LIHUE — A Kapaa man was sentenced to one year in jail for driving without a license on Thursday in 5th Circuit Court. Randy James Ragudo, 50, pleaded no contest to driving without a license on April 28. The state
LIHUE — A Kapaa man was sentenced to one year in jail for driving without a license on Thursday in 5th Circuit Court.
Randy James Ragudo, 50, pleaded no contest to driving without a license on April 28. The state asked for a one-year jail sentence given the defendant’s 10 previous offenses.
County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney George White said this was Ragudo’s eighth offense for driving without a license dating back to 1987.
He also has two convictions for driving after revocation and six contempt of court convictions that were related to the moving violations.
“Interestingly enough, there has been no traffic activity until this offense since 2010,” White added.
State Deputy Public Defender Dena Renti Cruz said Ragudo has worked hard to pay his fines and fees to restore his license.
Ragudo said in court he wasn’t just driving around. He said his work as a charter fisherman placed him in situations where he didn’t have transportation and needed to drive or lose business.
“That is a long record,” said Chief Judge Randal Valenciano, adding that Ragudo was sentenced to a one-year jail sentence for two similar offenses in 2009.
He sentenced him to another straight one-year jail term without probation.
