Judge raises bail in motorcycle death case
By Jim Dooley
Advertiser Staff Writer
A state judge Thursday increased the bail of three-time drunk driver Siaosi Feleunga to $500,000 to make sure he appears for trial on a charge of killing motorcyclist Lindsey Kane in a 2008 collision.
Deputy Prosecutor Franklin Pacarro Jr. called Feleunga, 32, a flight risk and a danger to the community who has repeatedly failed to appear in court in past cases.
When Feleunga allegedly crashed his truck into Kane�s motorcycle on Dec. 29, 2008, two bench warrants for Feleunga�s arrest had been outstanding for more than two years.
�He doesn�t do what the court orders him to do,� Pacarro told Circuit Judge Karen Ahn Thursday. �He�s a danger to the community because he killed someone.�
Feleunga is from Tonga, and if manages to flee there, �we have no extradition treaty� with that country, Pacarro said.
�If he bails out, if he leaves, we have no way of bringing him back,� Pacarro said.
In November, Feleunga was due to enter a guilty plea to charges of negligent homicide and driving while his license was suspended for a previous DUI conviction.
But he balked at entering the plea and said he was unhappy with the services of his defense lawyer.
His new lawyer, Shawn Luiz, protested Pacarro�s request to deny Feleunga bail, saying there was no proof that he had ever fled the state to avoid a court appearance.
Ahn agreed that �no bail is an extreme measure.�
But she said it �would be appropriate and reasonable� to raise bail to $500,000.