Woman is given another chance at probation

WAILUKU — A woman arrested again days after being placed on probation was given another chance on probation when she was sentenced Friday for breaking into a vehicle in the Makawao municipal parking lot last year.

Taylor Fletcher, 25, who gave no local address, had spent about 10 months in jail since her arrest in November, said Deputy Public Defender Heather Wolfenbarger.

“She is ready to make some changes and to move on,” Wolfenbarger said.

She said Fletcher is a “young and kind woman” whose nickname is Sunshine.

“She wanted to get her life on track when she came to Maui, did not have enough of a support system,” Wolfenbarger said. “Her goal is to return to Indiana, where she does have a support system.”

Fletcher had pleaded no contest to first-degree unauthorized entry into a motor vehicle. Charges of habitual property crime and fourth-degree theft were dismissed in exchange for her plea.

Second Circuit Judge Blaine Kobayashi followed a plea agreement between the defense and prosecution in placing Fletcher on four years’ probation and giving her credit for the time she had spent in jail.

He noted that Fletcher moved to Maui in March 2018.

“You basically started committing crimes the minute you set foot on our island,” Kobayashi told her. “That’s not sunshine in the court’s mind, by any stretch of the imagination.”

If she had moved here to better her life, “you did the opposite,” Kobayashi said.

“You continued to break the law,” he said. “In a very short time, you have been causing all kinds of trouble.”

Fletcher has prior convictions for crimes including criminal property damage, theft, criminal trespassing, unauthorized entry into a motor vehicle, contempt of court and failure to appear.

“The list goes on and on,” Kobayashi said. “At what point are you gong to have a wake-up call and realize you need to start complying with the law?”

Saying that “a person’s past is oftentimes a very good indicator of their future,” the judge said he wasn’t optimistic based on Fletcher’s past.

“I want you to prove me wrong and show the court you can comply with the terms and conditions of your probation,” he told Fletcher. “If you are truly serious about turning your life around and integrating into the community, whether it’s here or Indiana, you’re going to have to get your act together and start following the law.”

As part of her probation, Fletcher was ordered not to consume alcohol or illegal drugs.

In another case, she was resentenced to one year probation for second-degree unauthorized entry into a motor vehicle.

In that case, she and a man were arrested for breaking into a vehicle in February 2020 in the Paia municipal parking lot.

When she was sentenced Nov. 6 in that case, “she very tearfully told the court she had a better support system in place,” said Deputy Prosecutor Sally Tobin.

A few days later, on Nov. 13, Fletcher was arrested for the break-in at the Makawao municipal parking lot.