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COURTESY HAWAII ISLAND POLICE
Lawrence Botelho
A 31-year-old Pahoa man befriended a Canadian couple on Hawaii island and offered them a place to stay only to rob them at knife point, Hawaii island police said.
Lawrence K. Botelho is scheduled to appear at a preliminary hearing in February after he was charged Wednesday with first-degree robbery. His bail is set at $50,000.
Police said the couple were at Kehena Beach Park at about 1 p.m. Sunday where a man later identified as Botelho befriended them. He offered to show them around and provide a place to stay.
The visitors drove to a residence at Molokai Road at the Nanawale Estates subdivision with Botelho.
That night, Botelho allegedly threatened the couple with an 8-inch kitchen knife and took $200, iPhone and a Sony digital camera valued at $2,500 from the woman, according to court documents.
The couple reported the robbery to police and officers arrested him Monday morning at a Silversword Court residence in Ainaloa.
Police recovered the woman’s digital camera.
Court documents indicated Botelho has a 2009 felony conviction in San Antonio, Texas.
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