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A 23-year-old Kailua-Kona man appeared in court Thursday for his initial appearance on car theft and other crimes following a shoplifting incident in Kona on Monday.
Hawaii County police arrested Jesse Travis Ralston after he was caught allegedly fleeing after shoplifting from a store on Kamakaeha Avenue in Kailua-Kona at 3 p.m. Police said two men who appeared together had reportedly stolen from the store.
One of the men left through a back door with the stolen items and fled into the brush. The other exited through the front door and fled in a black Honda Civic after police tried to stop the car in the parking lot. Police followed the Honda to the intersection of Queen Kaahumanu and Kealakehe Parkway, where the driver got out and tried to get away on foot.
Police arrested Ralston, who allegedly had crystal methamphetamine in his possession. The license plates on the car were fraudulent and it had been stolen from a home in Kailua View Estates between Dec. 10 and 11.
Ralston was charged with unauthorized control of a propelled vehicle, failure to obey a police officer, reckless driving, resisting arrest, fraudulent use of a license plate, drug charges and three counts of violating probation. His bail was set at $119,000.
On Thursday police had not yet found the other suspect.
