Pair Charged With Numerous Offenses After Hitchhiker Robbery

Two men who allegedly robbed a hitchhiker in Kailua-Kona last Wednesday have been charged.

The Hawai’i Police Department reports that Kona Patrol officers responded to an 8:32 p.m. call on Oct. 28, where they met with a 23-year-old Kailua-Kona man who told police that he was hitchhiking along Ali’i Drive and caught a ride in a white sports-utility vehicle.

According to the man, a male passenger threatened to stab him in the neck unless he handed over the contents of his pockets.

Authorities say the victim gave the suspect a cell phone, cigarettes, a lighter, and cash before he was ordered out of the vehicle.

The victim was able to provide police with the license plate number and a description of the vehicle.

Officers searching for the SUV on Thursday spotted it on Kuakini Highway and stopped it.

Forty-three-year-old Robert Deleon of Kailua-Kona, the driver of the vehicle, was initially arrested on unrelated offenses for a domestic incident on July 18, 2014.

Deleon was charged with assault, harassment, interfering with a report of an emergency, and four counts of violating court orders. Bail for those offenses was set at $32,000.

Later that day at a home in Keauhou Mauka, officers located 22-year-old Sloan Deleon of Kailua-Kona, Robert’s son, and 27-year-old Leilani Parent of Kailua-Kona.

Sloan Deleon was arrested and charged initially with two counts of contempt of court and two counts of violating probation. His bail was set at $200,000.

Police arrested and charged Parent with contempt of court and violating terms of probation. Her bail was set at $100,000.

Later Thursday, Robert and Sloan Deleon were both arrested on suspicion of robbery for the Wednesday evening incident with the hitchhiker.

Robert and Sloan Deleon, along with Parent, were held at the Kona police cellblock as Area II Criminal Investigations Division detectives continued to investigate.

All three suspects appeared in court on Friday, Oct. 30 for charges unrelated to the robbery.

Robert and Sloan Deleon were returned to the police cellblock as detectives continued to investigate.

Also on Friday, detectives executed a search warrant on Robert Deleon’s SUV and recovered a crystalline substance suspected of being methamphetamine, a green leafy substance suspected of being marijuana, and paraphernalia associated with the use and distribution of illegal drugs.

Robert Deleon was then arrested on suspicion of meth trafficking, promoting a detrimental drug, and possessing drug paraphernalia.

Later Friday, Robert and Sloan Deleon were charged with first-degree robbery with bail on those offenses set at $50,000 each. The drug offenses continue to be investigated.

Robert and Sloan Deleon remained at the cellblock as they awaited their initial court appearance on Monday.