Naked burglar pleads guilty

LIHU‘E — A man accused of entering a Puhi home with absence of clothes and presence of mind to commit burglary has pleaded guilty to reduced charges in a plea agreement.

Ronald Frances Luna, 29, of Kekaha, was arrested March 27 and charged with two counts of first-degree burglary and one count of indecent exposure after he allegedly entered a Puhi home to commit burglary while not wearing any clothes.

He faces a 40-month minimum sentence as a repeat felon when he is sentenced in early December after pleading guilty last week before 5th Circuit Judge Randal Valenciano at the state courthouse here.

Luna, represented by state Deputy Public Defender John Calma, changed his plea from no contest to guilty on one count of first-degree burglary and one count of first-degree attempted burglary, with the indecent exposure charged dropped.

Valenciano asked Luna why he is pleading guilty. “‘Cause I guilty, sir,” Luna responded.

Luna is currently being held at the Kaua‘i Community Correctional Center, and could face concurrent, 10-year terms, or up to 20 years in prison, when he is sentenced. He was convicted of first-degree burglary in 1999.

According to a county press release issued just after his arrest this year, Luna was naked when he entered a Puhi home through an unoccupied bedroom window early on the morning of March 27, then knocked on another, closed bedroom door where the home’s couple was sleeping, and startled the woman who answered the door.

After a brief verbal exchange, Luna left the home and walked to a neighboring residence, where he reportedly removed a window screen and attempted to gain entry, the county news release stated.

He was arrested by Kaua‘i Police Department officers at that second home, the release said.

Valenciano found Luna guilty of the two charges, and ordered a pre-sentencing diagnostic report to be prepared.

• Paul C. Curtis, staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 224) or pcurtis@kauaipubco.com