Briefs 01-20
Police search for missing man
Big Island police are searching for a 24-year-old Hilo man reported as missing.
Jordan Kaneshiro was last seen in Hilo on Thursday. He has a medical condition that requires medication, according to the Hawaii Police Department.
Kaneshiro is described as being of Japanese and Hawaiian descent, about 6 feet tall, weighing 320 pounds with short black hair, brown eyes and a tan complexion. He may be operating an older model Toyota two-door sedan, according to police.
Anyone with information on his whereabouts should call the department’s nonemergency line at 935-3311. 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.
Man charge in Holualoa robbery
Big Island police have charged a 41-year-old Kailua-Kona man in connection with a robbery reported Jan. 12 in Holualoa.
Roger Rasmussen was charged on Sunday with accomplice to robbery, according to the Hawaii Police Department. His bail was set at $50,000.
On Friday, Area II Criminal Investigations Section located a white 1998 Jeep Wrangler Sahara believed to be associated with the Jan. 24 Keauhou Store robbery, according to police. Police later arrested Rasmussen, who was the vehicle’s registered owner.
Police are still seeking the primary suspect involved in the alleged robbery. Police advise the public to not approach the man as he is considered dangerous and may be armed.
Anyone with information on the case should call Detective Walter Ah Mow at 326-4646, ext. 238, or the department’s nonemergency line at 935-3311.
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.
Bomb maker sentenced
A Pahoa man was sentenced to 10 years in prison Thursday for a variety of charges, including bomb making.
According to Prosecuting Attorney Charlene Iboshi, Christopher Robinson, 39, pleaded guilty to second-degree commercial promotion of marijuana and owning explosives and firearms when he was prohibited to do so. Judge Glenn S. Hara imposed the sentence.
Police in November searched Robinson’s home, finding an improvised explosive device with red phosphorous and rusty nails, a 12-gauge shotgun, 131 marijuana plants, 470 grams of dried marijuana, 107 marijuana clones, marijuana growing paraphernalia and two glass pipes with methamphetamine residue. Investigators also found notes about marijuana plant sales and documents about Robinson’s participation in the Hawaii Cannabis Ministry.
He was charged Nov. 7 with first-degree commercial marijuana promotion, third-degree promotion of a dangerous drug, the explosives and firearms charges, attempted first-degree commercial marijuana promotion, first-degree detrimental drug promotion and five counts of prohibited acts related to drug paraphernalia.
Robinson was previously convicted of felony charges in Nevada; those convictions prohibit him from owning or possessing firearms.
Nomination papers for office available Feb. 1
The Hawaii County Elections Office announced Thursday nomination papers for elected office will be available beginning Feb. 1. Nomination papers will be available at the Elections Division Kona office, at the West Hawaii Civic Center, on Wednesdays by appointment only. Call 961-8277 to schedule an appointment.
The deadline to file nomination papers is June 5.
Papers will also be available at the Hilo office, 25 Aupuni St. #1502.
OHA names Crabbe new CEO
HONOLULU — The Office of Hawaiian Affairs has named its research director, Kamanaopono Crabbe, to be its new CEO.
Crabbe joined the agency from the Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center, where he was a licensed psychologist and the director of training.
The 48-year-old is a graduate of Kamehameha Schools and the University of Hawaii.
Crabbe will succeed Clyde Namuo, who retired last month after serving as CEO for 10 years.
OHA’s Board of Trustees made the appointment Thursday.
An agency press release says Crabbe has long served the community in the areas of clinical psychology, family therapy, and Native Hawaiian health research.
Cayetano runs for Honolulu mayor
HONOLULU — Former Hawaii Gov. Ben Cayetano is running for mayor of Honolulu.
Cayetano announced his candidacy Thursday, joining incumbent Mayor Peter Carlisle and former acting mayor Kirk Caldwell in the race.
He says a desire to end the city’s planned $5.27 billion rail transit project prompted him to come out of retirement to run for mayor. He is one of the plaintiffs in a lawsuit seeking to halt the 20-mile rail project.
The 72-year-old led Hawaii from 1994 to 2002 and was the first Filipino-American elected governor.
Carlisle’s campaign manager, Cha Thompson, says rail is an investment in the next generation. She says Carlisle is committed to bringing fiscal discipline to the city.
Caldwell says rail is an important issue in the election, but the contest is about more than rail.
Manoa laboratory building wins LEED certification
HONOLULU — A University of Hawaii at Manoa building is the first research laboratory in the state to receive the highest level Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, certification.
The building for the Center for Microbial Oceanography: Research and Education — or C-MORE — features low-flow toilets, automated faucets and waterless urinals. It uses 48 percent less potable water than a conventional building of similar size.
The university said Wednesday the grounds are landscaped with stream beds and river rocks instead of turf grass. This helps cut demand for irrigated water by 65 percent.
C-MORE laboratories are focused on the study of ocean microbes. It is one of only 17 National Science Foundation-sponsored Science and Technology Centers in the country.
Police seek suspect in armed attempted heist
MILILANI, Oahu — Honolulu police are looking for a man who is suspected of trying to rob a central Oahu jewelry store at gunpoint.
The suspect is described as over 6 feet tall, weighing about 260 to 270 pounds. In surveillance footage police released Thursday, the suspect is seen towering over the storeowner, chasing him with a handgun and pushing him over a display case while the owner is heard screaming.
Police say the suspect entered Gold Club and Gifts in Mililani Wednesday, asking to see jewelry. He brandished the gun after a display case was opened. The owner tried to run away, but the suspect chased after him and hit him. The suspect fled empty-handed into a residential area.
A nearby high school was briefly under lockdown.
HNL parking garage to get cleaning
HONOLULU — The state plans to close parts of the inter-island terminal parking garage at Honolulu’s airport for cleaning over the next few weeks starting Sunday.
Two floors will be closed at a time so crews can remove oil, tire marks, gum, spilled soda stains and other grime. The work will start with the 6th and 7th floors.
The state Department of Transportation said Wednesday the international terminal parking structure will be available for use while the cleaning is going on.
Fewer applicants show up at Honolulu job fair
HONOLULU — Organizers of a Honolulu job fair say more employers and fewer job hunters indicate an improved labor market.
Wednesday’s Job Quest fair drew about 3,500 people, down from 5,900 last year. The number of recruiters increased to 150 from 135.
Hawaii Pacific Health was among those looking for workers. It operates several hospitals in the state and has openings for more than 200 health care workers, which could absorb some laid-off from the recent closures of Hawaii Medical Center’s two Oahu hospitals.
Hawaii Pacific Health’s director of workforce development says they’ve already hired about 80 former Hawaii Medical Center employees.
Walmart also had a big presence at the fair. The retail giant is hiring 300 employees for a new store set to open in Kapolei.
Urn stolen from home located a block away
HONOLULU — An urn reported missing by an elderly Honolulu woman has been located.
A police spokeswoman says after Elaine Takano reported her home was burglarized while she was on vacation and that the only item taken was an urn holding her husband’s ashes, police were able to locate it in an evidence room.
When Takano returned home Tuesday, the urn was gone. She said it appears someone climbed through a back window of the house and went through everything inside.
But the urn had been found about a block from Takano’s home last month and turned over to police.
Police spokeswoman Caroline Sluyter says the urn will be returned to Takano.
Takano and her husband Noboru were married for 64 years before he died in 2010.
Abercrombie seeks boards, commissions applicants
HONOLULU — Now that the Hawaii Legislature’s 2012 session has started, the governor’s office is seeking applicants to serve on various boards and commissions.
They include the Hawaii Tourism Authority, Emergency Medical Services Advisory Committee and the Island Burial Councils. The governor’s office oversees more than 160 boards and commissions established by the state constitution, statutes or executive orders.
Applicants can apply or recommend qualified applicants via https://hawaii.gov/gov .
Gov. Neil Abercrombie said Wednesday his office is looking for leaders of diverse backgrounds. Vacancies include a range of interests and industries from aerospace to wastewater treatment.
By local and wire sources
