A man charged Thursday with the Aug. 18 robbery of the American Savings Bank in Kailua is no stranger to the criminal justice system in Hawai'i.

Bal H. Kanui, 53, was arrested Wednesday on Keolu Drive in Kailua and charged with second-degree robbery. Police said that in that case, a man entered the bank, passed a note to the teller and ran out after being given an undisclosed amount of money.

The Honolulu CrimeStoppers program and the Honolulu Police Department yesterday issued a joint press release thanking the public for identifying Kanui as a suspect in the bank robbery.

An artist's rendering that appeared in newspapers and on television news broadcasts almost 33 years ago helped identify Kanui as one of three men who participated in the shooting and robbery of two women and a man at the Pali Lookout. One of the women, Christine Eichenlaub, who was 36 at the time of the robbery, was shot in the right arm during the robbery, requiring amputation of her arm above the elbow.

Kanui was convicted by a jury in May 1974 for his part in the Pali robbery and was sentenced in July 1974 to 20 years in prison.

He later got a job as a city bus driver and won praise from passengers for his courteous demeanor. He left his job with TheBus a few years ago and moved to the Mainland, officials there said.

It is not known when Kanui returned to O'ahu, but he was listed as not having a permanent address when he was arrested this week in connection with the bank robbery.