45 year-old Marie Ramangmou of Puna was arrested and charged in relation to two separate incidents where wallets were removed from the purses of Hilo business establishment patrons.

The first incident occurred at the Downtown Hilo KTA on February 7 while the second occurred at the 7-Eleven off Kaumana Drive in Hilo on February 23.

Yesterday morning, Ramangmou made her initial Kona District Court appearance where over Prosecutors’ objections, the Court reduced her total bail from $225,000.00 to $20,000.00. She was ordered to appear for preliminary Hilo District Court hearings on March 7.

As the first Complaint alleges, Ramangmou was charged with charged with Theft in the Second Degree (theft of wallet, property commonly used to store items of monetary value), Theft in the Second Degree, (theft of property, value of which exceeded $750), Unauthorized Possession of Confidential Personal Information, Theft of Credit Card, Habitual Property Crime, and two counts each of Fraudulent Use of Credit Card, Identity Theft in the Third Degree, and Theft in the Fourth Degree. As the second Complaint alleges, Ramangmou was charged with Theft in the Second Degree, Unauthorized Possession of Confidential Personal Information, Theft of Credit Card, Habitual Property Crime, and Theft in the Fourth Degree.

The cases were initiated by South Hilo Patrol and the arrest was made by Officer Charles Caldwell-Kaai of Kona Patrol.  The felony investigation was handled by HPD’s Area I Criminal Investigation Section Crime Reduction Unit.

The case is being prosecuted by Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Kevin Soong.

The charges are merely allegations, and the Defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

 

Photo credit: Hawaiʻi County Prosecuting Attorney