Former University of Hawaii basketball star guard and ex-Waiakea High basketball coach Alika Smith has been charged with second-degree theft for allegedly stealing money from team parents, the Hawaii Attorney General’s office announced Friday.

Smith, 48, was arrested by the Hawaii Police Department on Thursday afternoon.

According to the charging document, Justin Alika Pekelo Smith “engaged a company to make hotel arrangements for a trip by the Waiakea High School boys’ basketball team, the cost of which was $3,788.75.”

The Department of the Attorney General’s Special Investigation and Prosecution Division alleges that Smith collected $3,627 from team parents and paid only $500 to the company, while giving an invalid check for the remaining amount. He kept the rest of the money, the AG’s office said.

“The people of Hawaii expect their public servants to act with honesty and integrity. When a public servant steals, the people’s faith in government is undermined,” Acting Attorney General Matthew Dvonch said in a news release. “The Department of the Attorney General will prosecute all those who abuse their positions of trust.”

A date for the alleged action was not included. Smith was hired as Waiakea girls basketball coach in 2019. He was most recently employed as a coach by Waiakea from November 2021 to November 2022, according to the Hawaii Department of Education. He previously worked as an educational assistant at his alma mater Kalaheo, where he coached the Mustangs boys basketball team to state championships in 2012, 2013 and 2015.

Second degree theft is a Class C felony that carries a punishment of up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000. He was also charged with one count of negotiating a worthless negotiable instrument, a misdemeanor that is punishable by up to one year in prison and a $2,000 fine.

Deputy Attorney General Thomas Michener is handling the prosecution.

Smith did not immediately respond to a phone call seeking comment.

Nanea Ching, spokesperson for the Department of Education, wrote "The Department can't comment on active or pending litigation" in an email reply to Spectrum News.

Smith is fondly remembered in UH circles as one half of the “Dynamic Duo” at UH along with Anthony Carter in the late 1990s. The former Kalaheo High star went on to become one of the program’s all-time leaders in points and 3-pointers and had a stint as a Rainbow Warriors assistant coach from 2005-07.

Note: The story was updated to include a response from the Hawaii Department of Education and details of Smith's dates of employment at Waiakea High.

Brian McInnis covers the state’s sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.