LIHUE — The two men arrested Tuesday after allegedly pulling a gun on people outside St. Catherine School in Kapaa both have extensive criminal records and multiple prior convictions, according to county prosecutors and a review of court records.
Travis Shimomura, 34, and Kylie Lanning, 23, led police on a high-speed chase up Kawaihau Road after Shimomura allegedly threatened a man and a woman in front of St. Catherine School Tuesday afternoon, not long before class let out for the school’s kindergarten through eighth-grade students.
A Kauai Police Department press release Wednesday said Shimomura and Lanning both had unrelated warrants out for their arrests — Shimomura was wanted for a parole violation and Lanning for violating conditions of his release on bail.
“It’s frustrating for us that these guys keep bailing out,” said County Prosecuting Attorney Justin Kollar.
Shimomura’s criminal record dates back at least to 2003, when court records show he pleaded guilty to two felony counts of forgery and a misdemeanor theft charge for which he was sentenced to five years probation and six months in jail, minus time already served. Less than a year later, Shimomura was arrested on a parole violation and given an additional prison sentence.
In 2005, Shimomura was indicted on drug charges and pleaded guilty to one felony count of drug paraphernalia possession, for which he was given a five-year prison sentence in 2006.
It is unclear from court records when exactly Shimomura was released from jail following the 2006 conviction, but a warrant was issued for his arrest in August 2009 in connection with a burglary. Shimomura eventually pleaded guilty to first-degree burglary and was sentenced to 10 years in prison, according to court minutes of the proceedings.
Shimomura was paroled about seven years later, but at some point violated the conditions of his release and was again wanted by police prior to his arrest this week, according to a county press release detailing the alleged incident at St. Catherine School.
Lanning, of Kapaa, was arrested last June after police say he was found driving a truck belonging to someone else that had been repainted another color. He was also charged with driving while his license was revoked, a crime “for which he has at least two prior conviction in the last five years,” according to charging documents.
He signed a deal with prosecutors last year, agreeing to plead no contest to one felony auto-theft count and a misdemeanor charge of driving with a revoked license.
Despite objections raised by the prosecutor, Lanning was allowed to post bail in November while awaiting sentencing, but a warrant was issued for his arrest two months later, after he allegedly violated the conditions of his supervised release by neglecting to contact his parole officer.
Lanning was scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 21, two days before he and Shimomura were arrested in Kapaa. At a hearing Thursday, a Fifth Circuit judge decided to delay Lanning’s sentencing pending an examination to determine the defendant’s mental competency.
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Caleb Loehrer, staff writer, can be reached at 245-0441 or cloehrer@thegardenisland.com.
