Hawai‘i Island police arrested and charged two Hilo men with agricultural theft.

The charges stem from an incident that occurred on a farm in the Pāpaʻikou area on  Sunday, June 26.  A witness said she witnessed a suspicious male carrying multiple bags of fruit and loading them into a vehicle then fleeing the area.

Police determined that approximately $260 of mangosteen fruit had been removed from a neighboring farm without permission.  In the course of their investigation, officers with Hilo Patrol and the Hilo Community Policing Section were able to identify and locate two suspects later that same day who were subsequently arrested without incident at a Pāpa‘ikou residence.

After conferring with the County Prosecutor’s Office, police charged 32-year-old Jan Loren Aguinaldo, of Hilo, with theft in the second degree and 34-year-old Levin Padilla-Pelanca, of Hilo, with theft in the second degree and promoting a dangerous drug in the third degree. Aguinaldo‘s bail was set at $5,000. Padilla-Pelanca’s total bail was set at $4,000.

The Hawai‘i County Police Department would like to remind the public that the theft of agricultural products either with a value that exceeds $100 or agricultural products that weigh more than 25 pounds is a felony offense punishable by up to five years imprisonment.

Police encourage the public to report all suspected agricultural theft to the police department’s non-emergency number at (808) 935-3311.

(Photos courtesy of HPD and AP)