Kakaako jewelry store robbery suspect tied to Kahala home invasion
COURTESY OF DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY
Keith Catolico
A 40-year-old man charged in connection with a Feb. 3 jewelry store robbery in Kakaako has been linked to a November home invasion robbery in Kahala, police say.
An Oahu grand jury returned an indictment against Keith K. Catolico Wednesday, charging him with first-degree robbery and second-degree burglary in the Opal Fields robbery.
He is being held at the Oahu Community Correctional Center in lieu of $300,000 bail.
Just before 1:40 a.m. on Feb. 3, police said two male suspects on motorcycles rode through Waterfront Plaza, also known as Restaurant Row, to the front of the jewelry store.
According to court documents, one of the suspects allegedly threatened a security guard with a handgun, ordered him to the ground and took his cellphone.
Police said the other suspect used a hammer to break the glass door at Opal Fields. Once inside, police added, the suspect used the hammer to break glass display cases.
Police said both suspects who were wearing helmets at the time fled on motorcycles with items taken from the store.
CrimeStoppers Honolulu issued a bulletin with surveillance images of the males, seeking the public’s help in identifying the suspects.
Police arrested Catolico Feb. 9 on a warrant for a separate attempted burglary case that occurred at a home on Kilauea Avenue in Kahala in October. During the investigation, police said DNA collected from a ring stand at the jewelry store matched a reference DNA profile of Catolico.
The other jewelry store robbery suspect remain at-large.
In an interview Thursday, Opal Fields owner Thomas Wheeler said his store remains closed because repairs have yet to be conducted. It will cost more than $20,000 to repair the extensive damage, he said.
Police said Catolico’s DNA also matched DNA collected at the scene of a home invasion robbery in Kahala in November.
The robbery occurred during the late night hours of Nov. 9 on Kaimanahila Street. A 76-year-old resident said two masked suspects entered her home and bound with her zip ties. The suspects fled with cash and jewelry taken from the residence.
