Man charged
in ‘lip-ring’
bank robberies

An Oahu federal grand jury has charged the suspect known as the "lip-ring" bank robber with hitting four banks -- one of them twice -- over the last two years.

Kimo Kulani Prestara-Johnson, aka Wade Yong and Tori Mark Johnson, 28, was arrested in Las Vegas in October and is awaiting extradition to Hawaii.

Johnson was charged yesterday with robbing the Manoa branch of First Hawaiian Bank on Dec. 19, 2002, the Kapiolani branch of American Savings Bank on Jan. 3, 2003, the University branch of Bank of Hawaii twice -- on Jan. 22, 2003, and on March 26, 2003 -- and also the Kapahulu branch of American Savings Bank on May 6.

In many of the robberies, police said that Johnson wore lip-ring jewelry, which led police to believe he was a college student living near the banks.

Police said yesterday, however, that Johnson was homeless at the time of the robberies.

Both Honolulu CrimeStoppers and FBI officials thanked the people who called in with information on this case.