Hilo Man Charged in Connection With Robbery

Makali‘i Kahumoku-Jose. HPD photo.

Hawaiʻi Island police have charged a Hilo man in connection with a robbery incident at a downtown Hilo business early this morning, Monday, Dec. 18, 2017.

At 3:59 a.m., police were called to a business establishment in the 500 block of Kīlauea Avenue after a man took two bottles of liquor from the shelf, then shoved an employee into a sales rack before running out of the store.

The suspect was seen getting into the passenger seat of a dark-colored sport-utility vehicle that was last seen heading in the Puna direction on Kīlauea Avenue.

The victim, a 61-year-old man, was not seriously injured.

Monday morning, officers assigned to the department’s Special Enforcement Unit arrested 22-year-old Makali‘i Kahumoku-Jose near the Moʻoheau Bus Terminal in Hilo.

He was taken to the Hilo cellblock while investigators continued the investigation.

At 10:35 a.m., police charged Kahumoku-Jose with one count of second-degree robbery and third-degree promotion of a detrimental drug. He remains in police custody in lieu of $26,000 bail and is scheduled to make his initial appearance tomorrow afternoon, Dec. 19, in South Hilo District Court.

Anyone who may have information about this incident is asked to call the Police Department’s non-emergency line at (808) 935-3311 or Detective Aaron Carvalho of the Area I Criminal Investigation Section at (808) 961-2272 or Aaron.Carvalho@hawaiicounty.gov.

This information was provided by the authorities. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.