By local and wire sources
Police locate Tu
Big Island police on Friday located 35-year-old Van Tu who was wanted on a bench warrant for contempt of court and for questioning in connection with a theft investigation.
Tu was located in the Hamakua District and charged on the bench warrant, according to the Hawaii Police Department.
Police investigate robbery attempt
Big Island police are investigating an attempted robbery Monday night in downtown Hilo.
A 14-year-old girl reported to police that she was accosted at the Mooheau bus terminal between 11:45 and 11:55 p.m. by a young man who brandished an “edged” weapon and demanded her purse, according to the Hawaii Police Department. The girl fled without giving up her purse and ran along Kamehameha Avenue until she reached a business and called police.
The suspect is described as being “local” or Hispanic, in his early 20s, about 5 feet 4 inches tall, weighing between 115 pounds and 120 pounds with a dark complexion, a bald head and a mustache. He had a tattoo on his left neck with cursive letters in a circle and a possible tribal tattoo on his right calf and shin. He was wearing black shorts and a black long-sleeved shirt, according to police.
Anyone with information on the case should call Detective Wendall Carter at 961-2378 or email him at wcarter@co.hawaii.hi.us. Those who prefer to remain anonymous may call Crime Stoppers at 329-8181 in Kona or 961-8300 in Hilo. All Crime Stoppers information is kept confidential.
Police arrest 27 for suspected DUI
Police arrested 27 drivers for suspected drunken driving between Jan. 9 and Sunday; eight were involved in traffic accidents and two were younger than 21.
Police have made 58 suspected DUI arrests this year compared with 52 during the same period in 2011, according to the Hawaii Police Department.
Kona officers nabbed 13 drivers, South Hilo officers five and Puna officers four. South Kohala officers arrested three drivers and Ka’u officers nabbed two.
There have been 49 major accidents this year compared with 58 during the same period last year.
To date, there have been no traffic fatalities on Big Island public roadways, compared with three fatalities during the same period in 2011, according to police.
Old Navy landing craft washes up on Maui
KIHEI, Maui — An old Navy landing craft is stuck on a Maui beach.
It broke loose from its mooring line and washed onto Sugar Beach in north Kihei Tuesday.
The state Department of Land and Natural Resources said strong winds and currents prevented the company that owns the vessel from moving it Wednesday.
Vessel owner Maui Fresh Fish LLC is expected to again attempt to pull it off the beach at the next high tide early today.
A company representative met with the Coast Guard and determined there was no leaking oil or fuel.
There were no reports of coral damage.
Man seen in stolen uniform at HNL
HONOLULU — State transportation officials said an investigation is under way into a man suspected of wearing a stolen security uniform at Honolulu International Airport.
Officials said the man also had an Air Operations Area airport badge that had been reported missing and expired in 2010.
Department of Transportation spokesman Dan Meisenzahl said a Securitas employee assigned to the airport was near a baggage claim Friday night when he saw a man he didn’t recognize wearing a Securitas uniform. Securitas did not return a phone call.
It was not clear how he obtained the uniform and if he had worn it at the airport on previous occasions. The man was questioned but not arrested.
Meisenzahl said there was no way he could have gone into secure areas.
Army chief: Pacific soldier numbers to stay same
HONOLULU — Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno said the Army will keep two brigades and a combat aviation brigade in Hawaii.
He said having soldiers in Hawaii enables the Army to keep “forces forward to station.”
More broadly speaking, Odierno said the number of soldiers assigned to the Pacific will generally stay the same. He said mainland-based soldiers may also support operations in the region.
Odierno spoke in Hawaii while on the first stop of an Asia-Pacific tour.
The Army said in a news release Tuesday the general also met senior leaders from U.S. Army Pacific and Pacific Command to discuss future strategies and the Army’s role in the Pacific.
HA, ANA launch code-share, frequent flyer
HONOLULU — Hawaiian Airlines and a Japan carrier are launching a code-sharing agreement and frequent flyer program.
Starting today, ANA customers will be able to book connecting flights on Hawaiian Airlines between Honolulu and Kailua-Kona, Lihue, Hilo and Kahului through ANA.
Hawaiian will place its flight code on ANA-operated flights between Tokyo’s Haneda International Airport and Honolulu, as well as flights that connect to Chitose, Osaka, Hiroshima, Fukuoka, Oita, Kagoshima and Okinawa. Customers will be able to book these flights directly through Hawaiian.
As of last month, ANA Mileage Club members can earn and redeem miles on all Hawaiian Airlines-operated neighbor island flights. HawaiianMiles member can earn and redeem miles on all ANA-operated codeshare flights.
All Nippon Airways is the largest airline in Japan in passenger numbers.
Maui police release name of woman in fatal crash
HANA, Maui — Police have released the name of a 57-year-old woman who died after the vehicle she was riding in plunged off a Maui road.
Police said Camile Ulani Combo of Hana was not wearing a seatbelt and was ejected when the Jeep Wrangler dropped about 25 feet and overturned Monday on Hana Highway. The driver had completed a bend in the road when he drove off the road.
Combo was pronounced dead at a hospital.
The 39-year-old driver was arrested on suspicion of first-degree negligent homicide. He was released pending investigation.
Police said speed and alcohol are suspected.
It was Maui County’s first fatal crash of the year.
Officials deal with 2 Oahu wastewater spills
HONOLULU — State officials are dealing with two separate wastewater spills on Oahu.
The state Department of Health said a manhole overflowed because of grease blockage and about 110 gallons entered a storm drain late Tuesday. About 75 gallons entered Kalihi Stream in Honolulu. The public is advised to stay out of Kalihi stream from the North School Street bridge to the North King Street bridge.
City officials said that on Wednesday morning, a broken valve caused an estimated 5,000 gallons of wastewater to spill in Windward Oahu. The raw wastewater spilled onto the ground along a stretch of Kahekili Highway.
Workers cleaned, disinfected and deodorized the area. The state has been notified.
$1.4M federal grant to repair Oahu harbor
HONOLULU — An Oahu boat harbor damaged by the tsunami spawned by the March 11 earthquake in Japan will be getting more than $1.4 million in repairs.
Hawaii’s congressional delegation in Washington said Tuesday the money for Keehi Small Boat Harbor comes from a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
About 200 boats were damaged at the harbor after waves shook loose docks with the vessels attached.
The harbor is home to about 400 berths and is located about five miles from Waikiki on Oahu’s south shore.
Governor endorses criminal justice proposals
HONOLULU — Gov. Neil Abercrombie has endorsed recommendations for improving Hawaii’s criminal justice system prepared by a working group that has studied the issue.
Abercrombie said Tuesday the plan will help the state bring Hawaii’s inmates back to the islands from private prisons on the mainland.
The Justice Reinvestment Initiative Working Group’s recommendations include mandating supervision for all felons after they’re released from prison. About 40 percent of people who max out their prison sentence are high risk for re-offense.
Abercrombie and legislative leaders established the working group last year.
Senate President Shan Tsutsui co-chaired the working group with Public Safety Director Jodie Maesaka-Hirata, and 1st Circuit Judge Steven Alm.
The proposals draw on research the Council on State Governments Justice Center conducted on Hawaii’s justice system.
By local and wire sources