MEDIA RELEASE

Michael Perreira-Thompson

Big Island police have charged an 18-year-old Hilo man for robbery and a related offense for his role in an incident that occurred last week in the Puna district.

On August 30, at about 2 a.m., police received a report from a 26-year-old Keaʻau man that after picking up a couple hitchhiking near the intersection of Route 130 and Ainaloa Boulevard in Puna, he drove them to the lower portion of the Hawaiian Paradise Park subdivision at their request. The male hitchhiker reportedly assaulted the victim after the victim exited the vehicle at the couple’s destination.

The male suspect then entered the vehicle and drove off with the female, who remained in the vehicle during the incident.

The victim sustained non-life threatening injuries and declined treatment.

Police located the unoccupied vehicle in the same subdivision after it was apparently abandoned.

Tuesday morning (September 4), police arrested Michael Gary Perreira-Thompson. After conferring with prosecutors, detectives from the Area I, Criminal Investigation Section charged him at 2:30 p.m. with second-degree robbery and unauthorized control of a propelled vehicle. His bail was set at $35,000. He remains in the police cellblock pending his initial court appearance scheduled for Wednesday (September 5).