“Their assistance was invaluable,” he said.
Police have arrested both suspects wanted for a robbery last week in Holualoa, thanks to tips from the public.
On Jan. 13, Kona detectives found and recovered a white 1998 Jeep Wrangler Sahara that they believe was associated with the Keauhou Store robbery the day before.
They arrested the registered owner, 41-year-old Roger Rasmussen of Kailua-Kona.
On Sunday, Rasmussen was charged as an accessory to robbery. His bail was set at $50,000.
The second suspect, 22-year-old James Kekai Hao of Kailua-Kona, was arrested Thursday afternoon outside an apartment complex on Lunapule Road in Kailua-Kona. Hao fled on foot after being contacted by officers but was discovered about 45 minutes later hiding in bushes several hundred yards away.
Hao, who is also a suspect in a Jan. 5 robbery at the Kaloko Business Center V in Kailua-Kona, was arrested on suspicion of two counts of first-degree robbery. He was being held at the Kona police cellblock on Friday while the investigation continued.
Lt. Gerald Wike said the community was instrumental in helping detectives solve these two cases.
“Their assistance was invaluable,” he said.