Hawaii Police Department
Office of the Police Chief
Lawrence K. Mahuna
Phone: 961-2244
March 20, 2008

(Select photo for larger image.)
(Select photo for larger image.)
Photo: Eriksson close up.
Surveillance photo of ATM suspect in hood and sunglasses
Eriksson
ATM suspect

Media Release

The next edition of the Crime Stoppers television program "Hawaii Island's Most Wanted" will feature a man wanted in an attempted kidnapping, a suspect in the fraudulent use of a credit card and a missing Hilo man.

The new episode starts airing Friday, March 21.

In it, police ask for the public's help in identifying a man who offered a woman a ride in Hilo and then pulled out a knife when she refused. He was described as an African-American male in a black van. He was last seen heading up Waianuenue Avenue around 4 p.m. on March 7.

 "Hawaii Island's Most Wanted" also seeks help in identifying an unknown person wanted for fraudulent use of a credit card. A surveillance photograph of the suspect was captured on January 27 at a Bank of Hawaii ATM machine on Kawili Street in Hilo. The suspect also used the credit card at various other locations in Hilo and Puna. In addition to the two wanted persons, the TV program renews its request for help in finding Willie Dennis Eriksson of Mountain View, who was reported missing on November 22. Eriksson was last seen during the evening hours of November 7 at a general store in the Mountain View area of Puna. Police have not ruled out foul play in his disappearance.

The program's host, Assistant Chief Henry Tavares, asks anyone with information about any of the wanted or missing persons to call the police department's non-emergency number at 935-3311, or Crime Stoppers at 961-8300 in Hilo and 329-8181 in Kona. All Crime Stoppers calls are kept confidential. Crime Stoppers does not tape record phone calls or subscribe to caller ID.

"Hawaii Island's Most Wanted" is a project of Crime Stoppers Hilo, Inc., which is a partnership of the business community, the media and the police. It was inspired by the national TV show, "America's Most Wanted."

The program airs on Na Leo O Hawaii Community Television Channel 54 on Sundays at 5 p.m. and Fridays at 5:30 p.m. It also airs intermittently on Channel 53.