Two Upcountry men were charged with felony offenses in connection with the robbery Tuesday of the Pukalani branch of First Hawaiian Bank.
Richard "Ricky" Vance, 25, of Kula and Michael S. Sobel, 28, of Pukalani were arrested Wednesday evening. Both were charged with first-degree robbery, kidnapping and first-degree terroristic threatening. Bail was set at $105,000 for each man.
The robbery occurred at about 3:05 p.m. Tuesday when a gunman entered the bank and ordered customers to the ground, threatening to kill them if they didn't comply, police said. The robber had a bag that he took to each teller's window and demanded money.
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Richard Vance
He left with an unknown amount of cash and was last seen getting onto the back of a dirt bike operated by another man, police said.
Through investigation, police identified Vance and Sobel as suspects, said Lt. Jayson Rego of the Criminal Investigation Division. He said Vance and his 20-year-old girlfriend were arrested at a Kaanapali hotel where they were staying. She was released pending further investigation of hindering prosecution.
Sobel was arrested at his residence, where police also recovered his yellow, black and white dirt bike, Rego said.
He said some of the stolen money was recovered.
