Hawaiʻi Police Department
Criminal Investigations Section, Area II
Lieutenant Gerald Wike
Phone: 326-4646, Ext. 266
Report No. C17000168
Media Release
Hawaiʻi Island police have located a man wanted in connection with a bank robbery Tuesday (January 3) in West Hawaiʻi.
Working with the assistance of the FBI field office in West Hawaiʻi, detectives from the Area II Criminal Investigations Section arrested 30-year-old Russell Monlux of Hilo at Kona International Airport at 4:46 p.m. Wednesday (January 4). He was arrested on suspicion of robbery and taken to the Kona police cellblock while detectives continue the investigation.
At 3:05 p.m. Tuesday, police received a report of a robbery at a bank on the 81-6600 block of Highway 11 in Kealakekua.
Bank employees reported that a man had entered the bank and passed a note to a teller demanding cash. He then fled on foot with an undisclosed amount of money and walked north along Highway 11. Police investigation led to the identity of the suspect.
Police ask anyone with information about this case to call the Police Department’s non-emergency line at 935-3311 or contact Detective David Matsushima at 326-4646, extension 224, or david.matsushima@hawaiicounty.gov.
Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous may call the islandwide Crime Stoppers number at 961-8300 and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000. Crime Stoppers is a volunteer program run by ordinary citizens who want to keep their community safe. Crime Stoppers doesn’t record calls or subscribe to caller ID. Crime Stoppers information is kept confidential.