A 74-year-old Kailua-Kona man accused of a violent attempted carjacking is free after his initial court appearance.
Kona District Judge Kimberly Tsuchiya on Tuesday freed Robert Russell on supervised release — a form of cashless bail — and ordered him to return to court on Feb. 13 for a preliminary hearing.
Russell entered the hearing in custody on $20,250 bail, charged with attempted second-degree robbery, third-degree assault, first-degree unauthorized entry to a motor vehicle and fourth-degree property damage.
The most serious charge, attempted second-degree robbery is a Class B felony that carries a maximum prison sentence of 10 years, upon conviction. First-degree unauthorized entry to a motor vehicle is a Class C felony punishable by up to five years behind bars.
Third-degree assault is a misdemeanor with a potential one-year jail term, while fourth-degree property damage is a petty misdemeanor that carries a possible 30-day jail sentence.
According to police, at about 6:45 a.m. Sunday, a 61-year-old woman reported that she was seated in her vehicle in an Alii Drive parking lot when Russell approached her wielding a 2-foot-long pipe-like object and demanded she give him her vehicle.
When she refused, Russell struck her in the chest, causing pain, police said. The woman managed to get away, but Russell reportedly damaged her vehicle.
The victim sustained minor injuries but did not require medical attention.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the police nonemergency number at (808) 935-3311 or Crime Stoppers at (808) 961-8300.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
