A Puna man is being charged in connection with a confrontation last week at a beach in Hilo.
A Puna man is being charged in connection with a confrontation last week at a beach in Hilo.
On Thursday morning, three men approached a 59-year-old Mountain View man at Kuhio Beach. While one grabbed the front of the victim’s shirt and forcefully held the man down, the other two took the man’s ukulele, cellphone and wallet with the man’s credit cards, driver’s license and $50 in cash, according to court documents filed by police.
The three men then fled on bicycles.
A short time later, police arrested one of the suspects, 27-year-old Kawa Salas of Glenwood, who was hiding in bushes not far away. He was charged Friday morning with second-degree robbery, a Class B felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison. His bail was set at $5,000.
Salas made his initial court appearance in custody Monday, when Deputy Prosecutor Glenn Shiigi said Salas “has a history of convictions for violent offenses similar to the one that he is charged with presently.” Shiigi said those convictions include two for domestic abuse as well as two convictions for carrying a deadly weapon.
Hilo District Judge Peter Bresciani maintained Salas’ bail and ordered him to appear for a preliminary hearing at 2 p.m. today.
Police are trying to ascertain the identities of the other two suspects. Anyone with information is asked to call the Police Department’s nonemergency line at 935-3311, Crime Stoppers at 961-8300 or Detective Robert Almeida at 961-2386.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.