LIHU‘E — Making his second court appearance in two days, Lii Kaimana Cook, 25, of Kapa‘a, pleaded not guilty in two cases on Tuesday. Jury trials have been scheduled for Feb. 22 on Cook’s burglary and theft charges with co-defendants
LIHU‘E — Making his second court appearance in two days, Lii Kaimana Cook, 25, of Kapa‘a, pleaded not guilty in two cases on Tuesday.
Jury trials have been scheduled for Feb. 22 on Cook’s burglary and theft charges with co-defendants Chelsie Banasihan and Brad Kubisch, and for March 1 on Cook’s solo charges of unauthorized entry into a motor vehicle, second-degree theft and credit-card theft.
Cook, who on Tuesday wore the same T-shirt he had on Monday after his Saturday arrest, is represented in both cases by attorney Craig De Costa.
Fifth Circuit Judge Randal Valenciano granted county Deputy Prosecuting Attorney McDowell’s motions to increase Cook’s bail from $10,000 to $20,000 in one case, and from $15,000 to $30,000 in the other, for a total bail of $50,000.
Cook failed to appear in court on Dec. 29 in one of his cases.
De Costa requested a bail study, which Valenciano ordered.
Kaua‘i Police Department officers suspect Cook, Banasihan and Kubisch of being key players in a string of burglaries at vacation rentals and other visitor accommodations in Po‘ipu, Koloa and Wailua Homesteads, Chief Darryl Perry has said.
The trio are charged with burglary and theft as co-defendants in connection with one Wailua Homesteads break-in.
Cook’s first name in state court records appears as both Liikaimana and Lii Kaimana.
