Hilo Man Charged in Reported Banyan Drive Robbery

A Hilo man facing charges in connection to a robbery that occurred on Banyan Drive was denied supervised release at his initial court appearance in Hilo on Tuesday, July 6.

District Court Judge Bruce Larson confirmed Lawrence Abiley’s bail at $27,000 and scheduled a preliminary hearing for the case Thursday, July 8.

The 61-year-old has been charged with second-degree robbery, second-degree terroristic threatening and third-degree assault in connection to an incident that occurred on Banyan Drive on July 3. According to the complaint filed in 3rd Circuit Court, Abiley robbed a woman and caused bodily injury.

At the time of his arrest, Abiley was on supervised release, over the objection of prosecutors, for revocation of his felony probation. Abiley had filed a motion requesting supervised release due to COVID-19 concerns at the Hawai’i Community Correctional Center.

According to the Office of the Hawai‘i County Prosecuting Attorney, Abiley is a repeat and persistent offender based on his prior felony convictions.