A 29-year-old Hilo man is accused of robbing two Kailua-Kona business establishments while brandishing an aluminum baseball bat.
Kona District Judge Kimberly Tsuchiya on Wednesday denied a motion by Deputy Public Defender Lezlie Kiaha to free Marty Pangelinan on supervised release — a form of cashless bail, after Deputy Prosecutor Brit Barker objected.
Tsuchiya maintained Pangelinan’s bail at $100,000 and ordered him to return to court Friday for a preliminary hearing.
Pangelinan is charged with two counts of first-degree robbery — a Class A felony punishable by up to 20 years imprisonment upon conviction — plus fourth-degree property damage.
According to court documents filed by police, at about 11:50 a.m. Monday, a baseball-bat wielding man wearing a black hoodie, a black-and-white bandana covering his nose and mouth, and a black backpack entered a Shell gas station at 75-5675 Kuakini Highway in Kailua-Kona.
The station manager, a 44-year-old woman, told officers that the man stood about five feet from her, raised the bat over his shoulder and said, “I need the money now. This is a robbery.”
According to documents, the manager asked the intruder, “Are you serious?”
The interloper replied, “Yes, this is a robbery. Give me the money,” and opened his backpack.
The woman complied, giving the man about $239, documents state. As the alleged robber walked southward, the woman exited the gas station’s convenience store and yelled, “He just robbed me!”
A nearby bystander, a 42-year-old man, reportedly pursued the suspect.
According to police, Pangelinan then robbed a nearby Starbucks at 75-5695 Kuakini Highway.
Documents state that Pangelinan was more aggressive inside the coffee shop.
The manager, a 53-year-old man, told police that the intruder waved the baseball bat in circles as he entered the establishment, then struck both a pastry display case and a black oven with the bat, damaging both.
According to documents, the manager told police he put himself between his employees and the robber to keep them safe, told the employees to exit the building and they left through the drive-thru window.
The intruder then told the manager to “give me all your money,” documents state, and the manager opened a lock box and gave the armed man about $200 in 20-dollar bills. The manager told police the money went into the robber’s backpack.
The robber demanded a safe be opened, documents state, but the manger told the man it didn’t have any money.
The intruder allegedly became irate and swung the bat again, striking syrups and powders used to flavor coffee and damaging the containers.
According to documents, a “homeless-looking man” ignored the manager’s advice to let the robber leave and held the door closed, whereupon Pangelinan allegedly shattered it with the bat.
After Pangelinan walked through the damaged door, he was reportedly tackled by three men, including the one who had held the door shut. They held him until police arrived, who arrested Pangelinan when they arrived. The bat was recovered at the scene, police said.
Pangelinan remains in custody at Hawaii Community Correctional Center.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
