Bail Set at $96,000 for Paradise Park Burglary Suspect

Benson Maddison. HPD photo.

Hawaiʻi Island police have arrested Keaʻau resident Benson Maddison, 18, for several offenses stemming from two burglaries reported within seven minutes of each other in the Hawaiian Paradise Park Subdivision.

The first incident was reported at 5:45 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 21, 2017. A 72-year-old man reported that tools and electronic items were missing after someone broke into his residence. The victim also told police that the suspect tried to hotwire his pickup truck parked on his property.

Then at 5:52 p.m., a 39-year-old woman reported that someone stole her 2015 Ford sport-utility vehicle (SUV) and personal items from the garage of her residence in the same neighborhood.

Later that evening, police responded to a report of a traffic accident on Highway 11 in Mt. View involving the stolen SUV. The driver, Maddison, was arrested at the scene without incident. He was treated at the Hilo Medical Center for injuries resulting from the crash before being transported to the Hilo cellblock while police continued the investigation.

Investigators also determined that Maddison was responsible for driving a stolen Honda CRV that was involved in an accident in Kalapana on Aug. 1. The Honda was stolen earlier that morning from an apartment complex in Hilo.

On Tuesday, Aug. 22, police charged Maddison with 10 counts: three counts of unauthorized control of a propelled vehicle, two counts of first-degree burglary, and one count each of theft in the second-degree, promoting a detrimental drug, driving under the influence of an intoxicant, driving without a license and accidents involving damage to vehicle or property.

His initial appearance District Court was on Wednesday, Aug. 23, when his bail was set at $96,000.

Anyone who may have information about this incident is asked to call the Hawai‘i Police Department’s non-emergency line at (808) 935-3311 or Det. Aaron Carvalho of the Area I Criminal Investigation Section at (808) 961-2272 or Aaron.Carvalho@hawaiicounty.gov.

Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous may call the islandwide 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.