HAWAII COUNTY POLICE DEPARTMENT
HILO CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION SECTION
DETECTIVE RICHARD A. MIYAMOTO
PHONE: 961-2379
MAY 1, 2002
H-04946
MEDIA RELEASE UPDATE
Police have arrested and charged a 36-year-old Hilo man with the theft of collectible coins from a shop in downtown Hilo.
The suspect, identified as Dennis Richards, was arrested Monday (April 29, 2002) and charged Tuesday with second-degree theft.
Richards is being held in the Hilo police cellblock pending arraignment in District Court.
The theft occurred on April 23, 2002, at Big Island Collectibles, located at 185 Kilauea Avenue.
The suspect came into the shop, appeared to be shopping and was seen placing items in his backpack. When confronted by the owner of the shop, the suspect left the store.
He reportedly took a roll of 500 “buffalo-head” nickels valued at $3,500, a bicentennial set of coins, other miscellaneous foreign coins, baseball cards and miscellaneous jewelry. The total value of the stolen items was estimated at $10,100.
Hilo police issued a call for the public’s help in locating the suspect and said tips from the public helped them identify and locate Richards.
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