Jury acquits man accused of taking newspaper box

A man accused of stealing a Honolulu Star-Bulletin vending machine is not guilty, a jury has ruled.

The jurors deliberated less than an hour Thursday before reaching their verdict, said defense attorney Dana Ishibashi.

The prosecution could not prove that his client, Jesse Kapololu, intended to deprive the Star-Bulletin of the machine, he said.

Kapololu, 33, was charged with second-degree theft after a police officer stopped him with the vending machine in the front seat of his car in November 2006.

He told the officer he found the machine abandoned on the side of the road in Kaimuki and was inquiring about getting a reward for returning it. Star-Bulletin officials said the machine was stolen from the KFC Kapahulu restaurant.

Kapololu also told the officer that two other machines had been abandoned in the same spot.

Ishibashi said Star-Bulletin officials testified that when they went to the location, they found two other machines. Ishibashi also presented a witness who said Kapololu had asked her about a reward for returning the machine.