TOM FINNEGAN / TFINNEGAN@STARBULLETIN.COM Former Kauai police officers Channing Tada, left, Lawrence Stem and Wesley Perreira awaited their fate in Kauai Circuit Court yesterday, while Deputy Attorney General Christopher Young, seated, prepared for sentencing.

Disgraced officers sentenced

The officers, Channing Tada, Wesley Perreira and Lawrence Stem, who resigned in February after being told they would be fired, did not receive any additional jail time, but will be on probation for five years each.

They pleaded no contest in February to felony theft charges as well as misdemeanor counts of tampering with a government record.

In 2005 the three flew to Maui and rented a car to attend a marijuana eradication seminar. They never attended the seminar but filed paperwork and time sheets indicating that they did.

The three apologized for what they called a bad decision, and apologized to their families, friends and the Kauai Police Department for the embarrassment and shame they had brought.

All three said people have mentioned the theft to their kids at school, their parents at work, even in the grocery store.

They "cannot stand in line in Costco without someone whispering, 'Hey, that's one of the cops,'" Stem's attorney, George Burke, said yesterday.

"I have an enormous amount of regret and remorse," said Perreira, the acting lieutenant in charge of vice/narcotics at the time of the incident. "All I can do is accept responsibility for my decisions."

Christopher Young, deputy attorney general, said the state had to bring the case because their decision to lie and cover up their mistakes damaged the reputation of the Kauai Police Department and the trust of the community.

"This is not about the $800" each for salary, flights and the hotel room, Young added. "This case is about integrity and honesty."

Perreira's attorney, Michael Green, said the damage alone from losing their careers and their reputations was punishment enough for their crimes.

Trying to find a job as a disgraced police officer is difficult, he added.

But Circuit Judge Kathleen Watanabe disagreed.

"Your actions contributed to the broken trust the community has in the Kauai Police Department," Watanabe said.

They were sentenced to restitution, plus a $2,000 fine for each felony and a $1,000 fine for each misdemeanor, plus all court costs. They also received 200 hours of community service for each felony and 50 hours for each misdemeanor.

All three pleaded no contest to two counts of felony theft. Tada and Perreira had two misdemeanor counts, while Stem had three.

Since they have had difficulty finding work, Green and Burke said they would pay all the restitution and court fees for their clients.

"These guys were the best in terms of performance and dedication," Green said after court. "This is a very bad loss for everyone."

Perreira and Stem, along with Tada, presided over the busiest years in KPD history. They set records for amount of drugs, guns and other contraband seized during their tenure in vice/narcotics.