COURTESY HPD
Sherwin Mitchell
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Two men will be tried in Circuit Court in December for allegedly stealing 23 goats from a Kahuku farm using duct tape to keep the animals silent.
Sherwin Mitchell, 24, of Waianae and Shannon Chun, 24, of Mililani entered pleas of not guilty Thursday morning before Circuit Judge Karen Ahn.
The pair will appear before Circuit Judge Colette Garibaldi on felony charges of livestock theft Dec. 2.
The two men have been free after each posting $11,000 bond after they were charged Sept. 27.
Theft of livestock is a Class C felony that carries a possible five-year prison term and a minimum fine of $1,000 or restitution, whichever is greater.
The two were arrested Sept. 25 and charged two days later.
The goats, which have not yet been recovered, were allegedly taken sometime between Sept. 19 and 20. The owners said their livestock was valued at several thousand dollars.
A 25-year-old Waialua man also was taken into custody after the theft, but released pending further investigation.
The owner of the Kahuku Goats farm says more than 20 purebred goats were stolen. Keal Pontin contends the thieves used duct tape to keep the animals from making noise.
Pontin suspects the thieves watched the farm, got to know its routine and then waited for a full moon to steal the animals.
Twenty-one of the goats were pregnant, and 10 of them were days away from giving birth.