LIHUE — The Kauai Police Department detective who arrested the alleged Bank of Hawaii robbers could not pinpoint how officers knew to target a green sedan and why Air 1 found the car to be suspicious, according to testimony Monday.
LIHUE — The Kauai Police Department detective who arrested the alleged Bank of Hawaii robbers could not pinpoint how officers knew to target a green sedan and why Air 1 found the car to be suspicious, according to testimony Monday.
It wasn’t enough for Fifth Circuit Court District Judge Trudy Senda. The court ruled the state had met its burden of probable cause for both the alleged robber of the bank and the alleged driver of the car.
The consolidated preliminary hearing for Brandon Hartberg, 26, and Matthew Rose, 27, ended its trilogy Monday before Senda.
Both cases will be heard in Circuit Court Judge Kathleen Watanabe’s courtroom on Feb. 3 for entry of plea at 9 a.m.
The two are each charged with robbery in the first degree, terroristic threatening in the first degree and theft in the second degree for allegedly robbing the Kapaa branch of Bank of Hawaii on New Year’s Eve. Police said Hartberg is the man who went inside the bank holding a rifle, while Rose drove the getaway car.
Deputy Prosecuting Attorney George White concluded his questioning of KPD Detective Christian Jenkins Monday.
Jenkins testified he took two statements from Rose. In the first statement, Jenkins said Rose and Hartberg drove into Kapaa Town to locate marijuana by Hoku foods. Jenkins said Hartberg got out of the car and Rose waited a little while before he drove off.
In the additional statement, he did not drive off but instead, Hartberg came rushing back and said, “Just (expletive) drive.” Jenkins said Rose told him he had just robbed a drug dealer.
Although defense attorneys questioned state witness Jenkins’ investigation of the robbery, the officer calmly answered questions.
Defense Attorney Michael Green told the court Monday that the state had “nothing on my guy.”
He asked the detective how is it KPD knew to target a green sedan and why the car seemed so suspicious to the red Air 1 helicopter deployed by officers in the search for the alleged robbers.
Jenkins, who said he was notified by Lt. Mark Ozaki that there had been a bank robbery, drove to the scene of the incident to begin his investigation. Ozaki also told him that “someone was on the loose.”
In KPD’s initial reports, Jenkins said the information in the reports was based on “word of mouth,” and some supplemental reports had that had started to trickle in.
He testified that as a part of his investigation, he and other officers had looked at photos of the suspect and put together a profile.
Green asked the detective why the officers in the Air 1 helicopter thought the vehicle was suspicious.
“I was not there when that happened,” Jenkins said.
Green then asked Jenkins how KPD connected a “suspicious green sedan” to his client.
“Other than him driving a car with some guy that looks like a bank robber, why was he handcuffed and hauled off to jail?” Green asked the detective.
“You’re going to have to ask that officer,” Jenkins said.
