Hilo Man Charged in Keaʻau Burglary

The Hawaiʻi Island Police Department has charged a 33-year-old Hilo man in connection with a burglary from a self-storage unit in Keaʻau.

Tuesday morning, Oct. 17, 2017, officers responded to a self-storage facility in the Shipman Industrial Park after employees observed a man moving items from a storage unit that did not belong to him and place the items into a second unit.

The suspect, who was recognized and confronted by employees, fled the area as officers responded.

Police determined that the lock had been cut from the storage unit where the items were removed. The victim reported miscellaneous household items and tools were stolen and valued more than $9,000. Police secured the scene while detectives with the criminal investigation section continued the investigation.

On Oct. 18, detectives executed a search warrant on the suspect storage locker and recovered some of the stolen items.

On Oct. 19, police arrested Marco Castro at a Pūnāwai Street residence in Hilo in connection with this investigation. Castro was charged with second-degree burglary and fourth-degree theft. He was later released from police custody after posting $11,000 bail and is scheduled to appear in South Hilo District Court on Nov. 30.

Anyone who may have witnessed the incident or have any other information about it is asked to call the Police Department’s non-emergency line at (808) 935-3311 or Detective Jesse Kerr of the Area I Criminal Investigation Section at (808) 961-2377 or email [email protected].

Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous may call the iislandwide Crime Stoppers number at (808) 961-8300 and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000. Crime Stoppers is a volunteer program run by ordinary citizens who want to keep their community safe. Crime Stoppers does not record calls or subscribe to any caller ID service. All Crime Stoppers information is kept confidential.

This information was provided by the authorities. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.