Bank robbery suspect was accused of making bomb threat last year

HILO — A 30-year-old Hilo man in police custody for a Tuesday bank robbery in South Kona was accused of making a bomb threat last year at a Hilo bank.

According to police, Russell Monlux was arrested June 9 after he allegedly passed a handwritten bomb threat to a teller at the Bank of Hawaii branch inside the Hilo Safeway store on Makaala Street.

The store was evacuated and Monlux was charged with two counts of first-degree terroristic threatening, but the charges were later dropped with prejudice — meaning prosecutors cannot refile them — after Hilo District Judge Henry Nakamoto found Monlux unfit to proceed based on a report by state Department of Health psychologist Dr. Frederic Manke.

Monlux was ordered committed into DOH custody for a period not to exceed 120 days.

As of late Thursday, Monlux had not been charged with the robbery of the Kealakekua branch of American Savings Bank but was in custody at the Kona police cellblock.

Police say Monlux was arrested on suspicion of first-degree robbery at 4:46 p.m. Wednesday at Kona International Airport and have until 4:46 p.m. today to charge him. If Monlux isn’t charged by then, police are required by law to release him.

Police said Monlux told a teller he had a weapon but didn’t show one. Lt. Gerald Wike of the Kona Criminal Investigations Section said no weapon was found when Monlux was arrested.

Monlux was said to have fled the bank on foot with an undisclosed amount of cash. Asked if money was recovered or if Monlux purchased an airline ticket or was attempting to do so, Wike replied, “We’re still investigating at this point and not yet ready to disclose that information.”

Anyone with information about this case is asked to call the police nonemergency line at 935-3311 or Crime Stoppers at 961-8300.

Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.