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Wailuku man sent to prison for fatal 2013 hit-and-run

WAILUKU >> A Wailuku man charged with killing a moped driver in a 2013 hit-and-run crash has been sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Shaun Shine pleaded no contest to negligent homicide, leaving the scene of a fatal crash and drunken driving as part of a plea deal. He was sentenced Friday to five- and 10-year prison terms to be served at the same time, The Maui News reported.

Deputy Prosecutor Kerry Glen said Shine had been fleeing from police on his motorcycle “with an absolutely ridiculous amount of drugs” when he struck Earle Maielua.

Shine told Second Circuit Judge Richard Bissen he was afraid of the officer following him and would have stopped but “never got a chance.”

But Bissen said Shine’s account of what happened differed from what witnesses said in police reports. The judge also questioned whether Shine failed to pull over because he had drugs in his backpack.

After the crash, Shine was involved in other criminal cases. He pleaded no contest to robbery, assault and other charges in the robbery and beating of a 72-year-old man operating a toll booth at Iao Valley State Park in October 2014. In two other cases, he pleaded no contest to weapons and drug charges.

“You made life-changing decisions, but those decisions were not just for your life,” Bissen told Shine.

Shine apologized to Maielua’s family in court on Friday.

“I pray you can find it in your hearts to please forgive me through God’s grace,” Shine said. “This has been weighing heavily on my heart.”

2 responses to “Wailuku man sent to prison for fatal 2013 hit-and-run”

  1. Carang_da_buggahz says:

    “Wah, wah, wah. I’m sorry I got caught. I’m sorry I killed that guy because I was carrying drugs and I didn’t want the police to find them.” At first, I thought 10 years was reasonable, but then he continued to get in trouble AFTER the hit and run. Sentencing this guy concurrently is nothing but a joke. If the judicial system really had any sense of punishment and deterrence, they would have sentenced him Consecutively. What a gross waste of taxpayer funds. This guy deserves at least 20 years. Minimum. He is a liability to society and always will be.

  2. DeltaDag says:

    God may forgive today, but his victims should suspend forgiveness until after he’s served his time – and maybe not even then.

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