A 37-year-old Honomu man was arrested this afternoon for the theft of a car that police said was used in two attempted robberies earlier in the day.
In the first incident, a man armed with what appeared to be a firearm attempted to rob the cashier at a gas station on Kaumana Drive, but left without any cash. The cashier was not injured.
Police said about 20 minutes later, the same person tried to rob an employee of a recycling center off Waianuenue Avenue but was again unsuccessful. The employee also was uninjured.
Police said in both cases, the man fled in a white Suzuki Samurai without license plates that had previously been reported stolen.
At about 3:20 p.m., police located the vehicle at a Honomu residence and arrested Kris Villasista for unauthorized control of a propelled vehicle.
He was being held tonight at the Hilo cellblock while police continued their investigation.
Villasista was also arrested in late May in connection with the armed robbery of a Honomu credit union but was later released without charges.
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