LIHU‘E — A man a state judge called “a time bomb” was given a four-day prison sentence after being found guilty of unauthorized control of a propelled vehicle. Jon Michael Buono, 29, of Kilauea, was recently sentenced by 5th Circuit
LIHU‘E — A man a state judge called “a time bomb” was given a four-day prison sentence after being found guilty of unauthorized control of a propelled vehicle.
Jon Michael Buono, 29, of Kilauea, was recently sentenced by 5th Circuit Judge Randal Valenciano.
Both Valenciano and Lauren McDowell, county deputy prosecuting attorney, agreed that it was pure luck that no one was killed or seriously injured when Buono ignored the advice of friends at a party and took off in a van belonging to someone else.
He totaled the van, left the owners without any transportation, and was “irresponsible, dangerous, dishonest, drunk,” McDowell said.
Buono had a blood-alcohol level of .190 at the time of his arrest in late 2005 — more than double the legal limit of 0.08 to be considered driving while under the influence of an intoxicant, McDowell said.
Also, he never took responsibility for his actions, she said. “He’s sorry now because he was found guilty,” McDowell said.
Buono shows “great remorse,” and teaches art classes, said John Calma, state deputy public defender, who represented Buono.
Buono was going through a hard time in his life, and was dealing with his problems by using alcohol, he said.
He is ready to make amends and pay restitution, and intends to make positive contributions the rest of his life, he said.
McDowell countered that Buono only began counseling after being found guilty, and that the victims in the incident (the owners of the van) “want nothing to do with him,” did not appear in court, and were not interested in making any statement at Buono’s sentencing.
“He’s been given the gift of surviving the crash without any death or injury,” said McDowell, asking for a six-month prison term.
“You were lucky no one was badly hurt,” said Valenciano, adding that he is concerned about Buono’s prior conviction for operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of an intoxicant.
That was Buono’s “first opportunity to be enlightened that there’s a problem,” said Valenciano.
“You didn’t learn the first time. It took two incidences to make that change,” said Valenciano. “Mr. Buono, you were a time bomb. You need to know how dangerous you were when you got into that car that night.”
With Kaua‘i’s two-lane roads, head-on crashes happen easily. On Kaua‘i, drivers need to trust each other, something unnecessarily complicated by impaired motorists, said Valenciano.
In addition to the four-day prison term, Valenciano sentenced Buono to five years probation, 100 hours of community service, and ordered him to stay in an alcohol-treatment program until clinically discharged, complete a substance-abuse assessment, and refrain from drinking and going to bars unless the situation is work-related.
He was scheduled to end his four-day confinement at Kaua‘i Community Correctional Center earlier this month.
•Paul C. Curtis, staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 224) or pcurtis@kauaipubco.com.
