HILO, Hawai'i — A former chief engineer for Hawai'i County has pleaded guilty to attempted theft for trying to charge the county for shipping a stove from O'ahu for his personal use.

Dennis K.W. Lee will ask Circuit Court Judge Greg Nakamura for a deferred acceptance of guilty plea that would allow him to clear his record later, said Brian De Lima, Lee's lawyer.

The state filed a criminal complaint last September charging Lee with second-degree attempted theft, which carries a penalty of up to five years in prison. However, De Lima said he does not expect the attorney general's office will ask that Lee serve jail time.

Lee pleaded guilty Monday. He worked for the county Water and Public Works departments for more than 30 years, and in 2001 was appointed chief engineer of public works by Mayor Harry Kim.

Lee left that job the following year to return to the Water Department as chief of operations. He resigned in November 2004 after the allegations came to light.

De Lima has said the charges grew out of an attempt in July and August 2004 to obtain a used commercial-grade, six-burner gas range for an employee break room in the Water Department's South Hilo baseyard.

The range was being discarded by the University of Hawai'i, and Water Department district supervisor Dean Fukuyama made arrangements to obtain the appliance. Lee processed a $422 purchase order to cover the cost of interisland shipping, according to De Lima.

Two additional used stoves from UH were then loaded into the container, and Lee and Fukuyama each took one of the stoves, De Lima has said.

Lee acknowledged he should not have arranged to have the county ship stoves for personal use, and has since paid the shipping costs, De Lima said.

Fukuyama entered a guilty plea to an attempted second-degree theft charge on Dec. 15, according to Circuit Court records.

Reach Kevin Dayton at kdayton@honoluluadvertiser.com.