Puna robbery 09-01-08 (posted 09-03-08)

Hawaii Police Department
Puna District
Sergeant Juergen Canda
Phone: 966-5835
September 1, 2008
Report No. C08026538

Media Release

Hawaii County police are investigating a robbery reported early Monday morning (September 1) in Puna.

At 12:42 a.m., Puna patrol officers responded to Kaloli Point in Hawaiian Paradise Park, where three men and a woman reported that while camping at Kaloli Point, multiple male suspects had approached their tents asking for money. The victims said the suspects became aggressive and threatened to cause them bodily harm. One of the suspects was seen holding a bat.

The victims were able to leave the campsite and go to a nearby home to call the police.

Upon arriving at the scene, police made checks of the area and located the suspects.

Officers arrested 18-year-old Damien Bentosino, 19-year-old John Iopa, 18-year-old Kawa Salas and two 17-year-old boys.

On Monday afternoon, Hilo detectives charged Iopa and Salas with second-degree robbery. They were each being held at the Hilo police cellblock in lieu of $2,000 bail.

The other individuals were released pending further investigation.



This entry was posted in Media Releases. Bookmark the permalink. Both comments and trackbacks are currently closed.
  • Keep your community safe through Crime Stoppers

    Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous may call the island-wide Crime Stoppers number at 961-8300 and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.00. Crime Stoppers is a volunteer program run by ordinary citizens who want to keep their community safe. Crime Stoppers does not record calls or subscribe to any Caller ID service. All Crime Stoppers information is kept confidential.

    The Crime Stoppers TV Program is available on-demand from Nā Leo TV.