Pahoa Man Charged With Three Robberies in Puna

A 19-year-old Pahoa man is being held in lieu of $159,000 bail after being charged Tuesday with 11 offenses in connection with three robberies over the past four months.

Police said Kale Thomas Ramangmou was arrested Monday in connection with robberies and assaults that occurred in Puna.

The most recent incident occurred early on May 1. Police said a 43-year-old Pahoa man reported that he was at a 24-hour convenience store in Pāhoa at around 2 a.m. when Ramangmou, who the victim previously knew, offered him a ride home.

The victim accepted the ride and was driven to an area off of Kaohe Homestead Road in Pāhoa. There Ramangmou allegedly assaulted him and removed undisclosed items. In addition, when the victim returned home he found that his house had been burglarized and several items stolen.

Ramangmou is also accused of breaking into the car of a 30-year-old woman from Mill Valley, Calif. who was sitting in her car parked across from Ahalanui Beach Park, also known as Hot Pond, on April 29.

Police said the woman reported that at 11:30 p.m. several unknown suspects threw a rock through the front passenger window of her car and demanded money. They allegedly stole a cell phone holster before fleeing the area. The woman sustained minor injuries from flying glass but declined treatment.

The third incident occurred on Jan. 28 at what police describe was a “rural retreat” in lower Puna. In that case a 40-year-old Pahoa man said he was in his parked van when a suspect got into his vehicle and asked for cigarettes and beer before punching the van driver and taking his telephone. Police said a second suspect also punched the man while a third threw a golf-ball-size rock through a side window of the van.

Charges against Ramangmou include assault, burglary, three counts of robbery, two counts of theft, two counts of criminal property damage, two counts of unauthorized entry of a motor vehicle.