LIHU‘E — A Waimea man was sentenced to 10 years in prison for felony gun and drug possession. Aaron K. Correia, 40, already had a felony firearm conviction, and it was a violation of his parole to possess three guns,
LIHU‘E — A Waimea man was sentenced to 10 years in prison for felony gun and drug possession.
Aaron K. Correia, 40, already had a felony firearm conviction, and it was a violation of his parole to possess three guns, in addition to illegal drugs and paraphernalia found during a traffic stop, authorities said.
5th Circuit Chief Judge Randal Valenciano said the court had to apply the full prison term because Correia had demonstrated that he was not able to succeed with probation and had a criminal record.
County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney John Murphy said the state had no recourse but to recommend the open 10-year sentence. He said the defendant had exhausted other options with prior convictions.
Defense attorney Warren Perry argued that Correia is sincere in admitting he did wrong, but felt it was for the right reasons.
He said Correia took guns from his residence to defuse a bad situation during an argument between others that might have escalated into something worse.
Correia was later stopped by Kaua‘i Police Department and discovered with a .410 shotgun, a Ruger Mini 14 rifle and assorted ammunition.
Correia had also been arrested on June 3 for first-degree burglary and third-degree criminal property damage.
He entered a no contest plea on Oct. 20 on the firearms charges and will get credit for time served.
• Tom LaVenture can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 224) or tlaventure@ thegardenisland.com.
