Woman sentenced to probation in pot case
Woman sentenced to probation in pot case
HILO — An Ainaloa woman arrested on marijuana charges last year has been sentenced to five years of probation.
The Hawaii Tribune-Herald (https://bit.ly/13iXaHJ) reports 57-year-old Phyllis Morby on Monday pleaded guilty to promotion of a detrimental drug.
Prosecutors dropped 21 other charges.
Hilo Circuit Judge Greg Nakamura sentenced Morby to a year in jail but gave her credit for time served. He took the rest of the term under advisement.
Police arrested Morby on Oct. 18 along with 59-year-old Gilbert Espiritu.
Officers seized 98.8 pounds of dried marijuana, 321 marijuana plants and other drugs.
Espiritu has pleaded guilty to commercial promotion of marijuana and promotion of a harmful drug. His sentencing is scheduled for June 21.
Magnitude 5.3 earthquake strikes near Hawaii
PAHALA — The U.S. Geological Survey is revising the magnitude of an earthquake off the southeast coast of Hawaii to 5.3.
Tuesday afternoon’s earthquake was centered about 34 miles southeast of Pahala at a depth of about 25 miles. Officials say it’s not expected to generate a tsunami.
Hawaii County Civil Defense Director Darryl Oliveira said there are no immediate reports of damage.
The USGS reported earlier that the quake’s magnitude was 5.6.
People as far away as Maui and Oahu reported weak shaking to the USGS. The Oahu Department of Emergency Management says some areas may have experienced strong shaking.
Kevin Dayton, the executive assistant to the mayor, said he felt a large jolt in the county building in Hilo. A stock clerk at the Mizuno Superette grocery store in Pahala says the shelves rocked but nothing fell.