A 20-year-old man is accused of burglarizing multiple homes in one night during a crime spree in a Mililani neighborhood.
Kalani M. Fierro remains in custody in lieu of
$50,000 bail on charges of five counts of felony burglary and one count of auto theft. Police noted the auto theft occurred outside of Mililani.
His arraignment is scheduled for Thursday at Circuit Court.
Police say property crimes are challenging to solve due to a lack of witnesses and evidence,
but the efforts between
officers and the community plus video footage led to
a swift arrest and subsequent charges in the burglary case.
The burglaries occurred sometime during the late night hours of July 18 to
the early morning hours
of July 19. Police said a suspect unlawfully entered at least five properties on Hokuili and Hokuala streets.
Police said a suspect entered carports in the neighborhood and took cash, bags, identification cards, stereo equipment and other items from vehicles.
He is also accused of taking a motorcycle from one of the properties during the crime spree.
Police responded to the area but the perpetrator fled the scene.
At least two separate home surveillance videos from two separate residences circulated on Facebook after they were initially posted on Stolen Stuff
Hawaii’s Facebook page.
Stolen Stuff Hawaii is an anti-crime group that assists crime victims. The group has an estimated 135,000 members, according to creator Michael Kitchens, who launched Stolen Stuff Hawaii in 2014.
The surveillance videos showed the burglar later identified as Fierro with a large “96712” tattoo on his stomach. The numbers are believed to represent the ZIP code for Haleiwa.
“There was so much good footage,” Kitchens said. People who recognized him sent information to Stolen Stuff Hawaii moderators. The moderators then relayed the information to law enforcement.
Police said the clear video footage was a key component that led to
Fierro’s July 20 arrest and subsequent burglary charges.
He has a criminal history of a 2019 petty misdemeanor conviction for theft.
Police said a home security surveillance system is a great tool for property owners which serves as a deterrent and, if necessary, can be used as evidence by law enforcement to help solve crimes.
