HONOLULU (AP) - Two inmates released unsupervised from prison on work furlough to look for jobs are suspects in a kidnapping and robbery, according to Honolulu prosecutors.
Kalai P. Tavares, 34, was charged Thursday with four counts of kidnapping, robbery, and promoting a dangerous drug, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser (https://bit.ly/1ynu7pQ) reported.
Robert S. Gibson, 31, was charged with four counts of kidnapping and robbery.
Bail for both was set at $100,000.
The prosecutor’s office said both men have a lengthy arrest records and never should have been released on their own.
“Work furlough should only apply to inmates who have jobs,” said prosecutor Keith Kaneshiro in a prepared statement. “No inmate should be out there, supposedly looking for work, without any supervision. Inmates who are inappropriate for work furlough cannot be allowed to put public safety at risk.”
According to prosecutors, the two on Tuesday trespassed on property in the Makiki neighborhood northeast of downtown Honolulu.
They tied up three people there and a fourth person nearby.
The men asked the four for drugs and weapons, took three handbags and fled, prosecutors said.
A witness spotted the men running away and getting into a car. They were arrested at 5:25 p.m. Tuesday in a car at King and Victoria streets.
Tavares previously has been convicted of burglary, kidnapping and robbery. Gibson has been convicted of theft, burglary and assault.
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Information from: Honolulu Star-Advertiser, https://www.staradvertiser.com
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