Hilo man faces theft, drug charges following series of Jeep rim, tire thefts in Hilo area

A 31-year-old Hilo man has been charged with theft and drug offenses following a series of thefts earlier this month in the Hilo area involving three different Jeep Wranglers.

Hawai‘i County prosecuting attorney’s office reports Shalton Estocado was arrested and charged with:

• 3 counts of second-degree theft.
• 3 counts of habitual property crime.
• 2 counts of third-degree promoting a dangerous drug (possess any amount of methamphetamine).

Estocado made his initial appearance Monday afternoon, March 16, in Hilo District Court. He appeared today, March 18, in Hilo Circuit Court for return on an information charge warrant.

His bail was maintained at $160,000 and Estocado was ordered to appear March 30 for an appointment of counsel hearing.

Second-degree theft, habitual property crime and third-degree promoting a dangerous drug are all Class C felonies, each carrying either a 5-year prison term or 4 years probation (5 years for habitual property crime) and up to 1 year in jail.

Hawai‘i Island police that Estocado was charged for the theft of the spare tire and rim from three different Jeep Wranglers on March 9 in the Hilo area. Officers conducted a traffic stop March 11 on Estocado while he was operating a Nissan Frontier.

He was subsequently placed under arrest.

Officers obtained a search warrant for the Nissan Frontier and later recovered:

• A Ryobi hand-held power drill.
• A black fanny pack containing multiple wrenches and sockets.
• 7 Jeep OEM rims.
• A glass smoking pipe.
• 2 packets containing 2.7 grams of a substance that tested presumptive positive for methamphetamine found in a pill container labeled “BATUBUTNOTFORU”.

The cases were initiated by Hawai‘i Police Department South Hilo Patrol and the felony investigation was handled by the department’s Area I Criminal Investigation Section Crime Reduction Unit.

Hawai‘i County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Patrick Muñoz is prosecuting the case.