Posted on: Thursday, February 20, 2003

Big Island burglar sentenced to 125 years

Associated Press

HILO, Hawai'i — A Big Island man who pleaded guilty to committing a rash of burglaries last year along the Hamakua Coast was sentenced to 125 years in prison after failing to honor the terms of a plea agreement by skipping his sentencing last month.

Paulino Evangelista, 27, pleaded guilty last fall to 12 counts of burglary under a plea agreement in which prosecutors agreed to drop another charge in exchange for his cooperation in helping solve other burglaries. Under the agreement, prosecutors also agreed to recommend he serve the sentences for the 12 burglaries at the same time.

Evangelista was also allowed to ask to serve any sentences on additional burglary and theft charges at the same time as the other counts. He later pleaded guilty to two more burglaries and a theft.

"He probably would have got 10 years incarceration," said Deputy Prosecutor Mitchell Roth.

Evangelista, who was free on $3,000 bail, was also required to appear for all court appearances.

When he failed to show up for sentencing on Jan. 16, the agreement was off.

On Tuesday, Roth asked Circuit Judge Riki May Amano to revoke Evanglista's bail and sentence him for the 15 felonies.

Amano ordered him to serve consecutive terms for a total of 125 years, and pay nearly $17,000 in restitution.

Some of the burglaries were committed while the victims were in their homes asleep, court documents say.