Hotel worker gets 1 year for burglaries

LIHU‘E — After pleading no contest to stealing from hotel guests, an Anahola man was sentenced to one year in jail and a five-year felony probation on Wednesday in 5th Circuit Court.

Kawika Iopa Manaku, 27, apologized to the court for his part in unlawfully entering two Westin-Princeville hotel rooms on March 2, 2012. He reportedly stole more than $100 in currency from each room with an accomplice.

Judge Kathleen Watanabe informed Manaku that if his probation were to be revoked, the two felonies carry a possible extended sentence of five to 20 years in prison. She also ordered a drug addiction assessment and counseling.

Originally charged with two counts of first-degree burglary and two counts of third-degree theft, Manaku changed his plea to no contest on two amended counts of second-degree burglary on Jan. 28, 2013.

Court-appointed defense attorney James Tagupa said in court on Wednesday that as a runner with the Westin, Manaku became indebted to a drug dealer and made a bad decision. He used his employee master key to enter hotel rooms to steal from the guests.

Manaku used his own employee key card, which aided hotel security in tracing the activity and identifying the suspect. When Manaku could not tell investigators the whereabouts of some items, Tagupa said Manaku was compelled to implicate another co-worker in the crimes.

Tagupa asked for probation and drug treatment for Manaku. He said the crime was drug related and that the defendant is aware of the consequences in failing in his probation.

County Second Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Rebecca Vogt said the defendant has one prior felony conviction with a five-year prison term. She said the state requested a year in jail with the felony probation.

• Tom LaVenture, staff writer, can be reached at 245-0424 or tlaventure@thegardenisland.com.