REPORT FROM KAUAI COUNTY – LĪHU’E – The Honorable Randal G.B. Valenciano, Chief Judge of the Fifth Circuit Court, today sentenced Joshua M. Carlsen, age 37 of Kapa‘a, to a maximum of 10 years in prison for robbing the Kapa‘a branch of the Bank of Hawai‘i earlier this year.
Carlsen pled No Contest to Robbery in the Second Degree in June, and as a repeat offender, he must serve a minimum of 6 years and 8 months of his sentence before he is eligible for parole.
The Defendant admitted that on January 29 he robbed the bank after he walked in and gave a note to the bank teller demanding money. Most of the stolen money was recovered when police located and arrested Carlsen near his Kapa‘a residence in the early morning hours of January 30. He was ordered to pay restitution for the money that had not been recovered.
During sentencing, Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Melinda K. Mendes, representing the State, commended the Kaua‘i Police Department officers and detectives for developing a strong circumstantial case against the Defendant under the direction of Lead Investigator Kenneth Cummings.
Carlsen was represented by Deputy Public Defender Samuel Jajich.
Carlsen’s prior convictions include Possession of a Controlled Substance-Heroin in 2011 and Attempted Murder in 2002; both incidents occurred in California. The Attempted Murder conviction was the result of Carlsen striking a victim with a bottle and then stabbing him multiple times with a knife in 1998.
Prosecuting Attorney Justin Kollar added: “We thank the investigators that made this successful prosecution possible. We are satisfied that this defendant will spend a lengthy amount of time in prison, where he will be unable to inflict any more harm on our community.”