Kailua-Kona robbery leads to crystal meth bust

KAILUA-KONA, Hawaii: The following media release is from the Hawaii County Police Department:

A Kona man has been charged with robbery and drug charges following an encounter early Wednesday (April 11) in Kailua-Kona.

At 3:30 a.m. Wednesday, Kona patrol officers responded to a parking lot in the Hanama Place shopping area. A 43-year-old Kailua-Kona man with no permanent address reported that he had been sleeping outside a business building when he woke up to find an acquaintance forcibly removing money from his pants pocket. The victim struggled with his assailant until the assailant brandished a pocket knife and then fled with the cash.

No one was injured in the struggle.

At 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, a Kona patrol officer located the suspect on Aliʻi Drive in the Kailua-Kona town area and arrested him. Officers found a glass smoking pipe with a crystalline residue believed to be methamphetamine, along with drug paraphernalia.

The suspect—31-year-old Marcus Anthony Winkler of no permanent address in Kailua-Kona— was taken to the Kona police cellblock while detectives from the Area II Criminal Investigations Section continued the investigation.

At 1 p.m. Thursday (April 12), detectives charged him with first-degree robbery, promoting a dangerous drug and possessing drug paraphernalia. His bail was set at $70,000.

He remains at the Kona cellblock pending his initial court appearance scheduled for Friday (April 13).