LIHUE — A Kapaa man convicted of probation violations and noncompliance with the state sex offender registry lost his probation and was sentenced to five years in prison Tuesday in 5th Circuit Court. Dennis Lee Vandermeer, 51, of Kapaa, was
LIHUE — A Kapaa man convicted of probation violations and noncompliance with the state sex offender registry lost his probation and was sentenced to five years in prison Tuesday in 5th Circuit Court.
Dennis Lee Vandermeer, 51, of Kapaa, was first convicted of sex offender registry non-compliance in 2012.
”I urge you to do good time and to follow through on the requirements when paroled, and take this very seriously because you know the consequences,” said Judge Kathleen Watanabe.
County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Lisa Arin said Vandermeer was arrested in June on a charge of revocation or modification of probation. The probation department had worked hard to assist the defendant in maintaining compliance with the registry and with filing an appeal to his insurance company to pay for his treatment, she said.
The state requested the five-year prison term because Vandermeer gave up trying to be compliant a year and a half ago and was on abscond status for before his arrest, she said.
”He has used up all of his chances,” Arin said.
Arin said the seriousness of the underlying conviction was a question of public safety. If the defendant did not want to work at probation then the state could only recommend the open term.
Van Dermeer was sentenced to concurrent prison terms of five years for kidnapping and eight years for first-degree rape on July 13, 1984. He was also ordered to pay $1,040 in restitution to the victim.
Vandermeer was picked up during a sweep of 25 sex-offender registration violation cases between November 2012 and January 2013. He pleaded no contest to some of 25 violations and was sentenced to probation and six months in jail on Oct. 3, 2012.
State Deputy Public Defender Samuel Jajich said it was a long shot to expect the court to allow an alternative to prison, but recommended up to a year in jail with HOPE probation (Hawaii’s Opportunity Probation with Enforcement) which provides close supervision of high-risk offenders and instant sanctions for violations.
Vandermeer provided a letter to the court to state that he was gainfully employed and had a place to live. His roommates were dependent on his income to maintain the household.
Despite the letter in support of a request for probation, Vandermeer did an about-face at the start of the hearing and asked the judge for the full prison term. He expressed doubt with being able to successfully complete probation without transportation.
