Defended ex-Waiakea basketball coach scheduled for plea alteration
It looks like basketball personality Alika Smith might be strikein' a deal, ‘ey?
According to court records, Alika Smith, whose birth name is Justin Alika Pekelo Smith, is set to appear for a change of plea at 9 a.m. on July 9 before Hilo Circuit Judge Peter Kubota. Now, you may recall that ol' Alika pleaded not guilty back on Sept. 11, 2024, to charges of second-degree theft and negotiating a worthless instrument.
Alika Smith, previously a coach at Waiakea High School and a standout baller for University of Hawaii at Manoa, finds himself in hot water for allegedly pilfering moolah meant to cover lodging expenses for a basketball team's trip.
The prosecution of this case is being handled by state Deputy Attorney General Thomas Michener.
As the complaint goes, Smith, a 49-year-old Pahoa resident, arranged hotel accommodations through Sports Travel LLC for the Waiakea High School boys' basketball team at a cost of $3,788.75. He collected $3,627 in cash from the team members' families but pocketed it instead of paying the company.
Reportedly, Smith put down a deposit of $500 and penned a check for the remaining balance owed to Sports Travel, well aware it was a forged instrument. Yep, you guessed it—that check bounced due to insufficient funds, and Alika never paid the balance.
Second-degree theft is a Class C felony, punishable by up to five years in the slammer and a fine of ten grand. Negotiating a worthless instrument, on the other hand, is just a misdemeanor, carrying a sentence of up to a year in the pokey and a max fine of two grand.
A little context: Alika has a clean criminal record, and he's currently out on a $25,000 bond. He's representin’ himself with Hilo defense attorney Kai McGuire.
Now, it's worth mentionin' that there's no explicit info about a "Smith" related to this situation in Hawaii's basketball realm. The only "Alika Smith" making headlines on TikTok is "Alika Koa Hawaii"- a case concerning Whalen Armstrong being charged with murder and firearm offenses. However, there's no clear link between this case and the aforementioned basketball-related context[1][3].
If you're referrin' to a different individual or case, kindly provide more context or clarify the question.
Despite the sports-related past of Alika Smith, recent news headlines focus on his legal troubles in the realm of crime and justice, as he is set for a change of plea hearing for charges related to second-degree theft and negotiating a worthless instrument in a case involving a basketball team's travel expenses. In addition, general news reports discuss a different Alika Smith, Alika Koa Hawaii, who is facing murder and firearm offenses on TikTok.
