State seeking to upgrade of severity charges against deadly hit-and-run suspect

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - The state wants to upgrade the charges against a deadly hit-and-run suspect with a lengthy record of traffic offenses.

Mitchel Miyashiro, 45, has been driving without a license for years, despite frequent stops by police.

Court records going back to 1996 show at least 164 traffic infractions and crimes.

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In the last five years, court records show, he was stopped 12 times for allegedly driving without a license. He was convicted six times for the offense, which is a traffic crime, but was never sentenced to time in jail.

Miyashiro is currently charged with petty misdemeanors for traffic violations preceding the hit-and-run.

Prosecutors want those charges increased to misdemeanors.

Miyashiro has been booked for negligent homicide and other crimes in connection with last month’s hit-and-run crash that killed 16-year-old Sara Yara while she was walking to school on Kapiolani Boulevard.

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