Man indicted in Mililani robbery
An Oahu grand jury has indicted a 37-year-old man with a long criminal history in connection with a brazen home break-in and car theft in Mililani earlier this month.
Matthew M. Ako III was indicted yesterday on charges of first-degree burglary, second-degree robbery, and unauthorized control of a propelled vehicle. He faces up to 50 years in prison for the offenses, said Deputy Prosecutor Scott Spallina, head of the Elder Abuse Justice unit.
Circuit Judge Derrick Chan also agreed to raise Ako's bail to $200,000 from $100,000, Spallina said. Ako, who was arrested during the weekend, has been charged 25 times for various offenses since 1991, state criminal records show. He was found guilty of burglary four times.
Spallina said police are still searching for another man suspected of helping Ako ransack the home of 79-year-old Yaeko Matsumoto on March 7. Police said the men locked Matsumoto in her bathroom and stole numerous items, including a portable safe, before fleeing in her 2003 Cadillac.
Matsumoto is recovering from broken ribs and a collapsed lung she suffered during the attack. Her husband, former City Councilman Toraki Matsumoto, 78, was not home when the robbery happened.
Police found the Cadillac abandoned on Loaa Street. Inside, they discovered a key chain with a photo of a man whom police determined was a victim of a separate auto theft.
Anyone with information about the cases can call CrimeStoppers at 955-8300.