Hilo teen missing
Hilo teen missing
Big Island police are searching for a 16-year-old Hilo boy who was reported missing.
Jake Miyake-Kamahele was last seen at 9:45 a.m. July 22 in Pahoa. He is described as 4 feet 11 inches tall, weighing 91 pounds with brown eyes and black hair.
Anyone with information on his whereabouts should call the Police Department’s nonemergency line at 935-3311. Those who prefer to remain anonymous may call Crime Stoppers at 961-8300 in Hilo or 329-8181 in Kona.
Consumers warned
of utility scams
The Hawaiian electric companies are warning customers about an increase in reports of telephone scams by utility customers.
Dozens of small business customers, mostly ethnic restaurants, have reported receiving telephone calls regarding their account being delinquent and their service being subject to disconnection.
In some of the cases, customers reported their caller ID indicated the calls were from Hawaiian Electric. The calls were not made by Hawaiian Electric, Maui Electric or Hawaii Electric Light Co., meaning the scammers were likely using commercially available technology to emulate the utilities’ caller ID, according to HECO.
Electric customers have also reported that they were directed to pay bills by purchasing certain types of money vouchers called MoneyPak. This is not a legitimate method of making payments on electric bills, according to HECO.
Customers who receive a suspicious call from someone claiming to represent the company, should call their local customer service center. West Hawaii customers should call 329-3584 in Kona or 885-4605 in Waimea. They are also advised to report any suspicious activity to police.
Customers may also report fraud cases directly to MoneyPak by calling (800)GREENDOT or by visiting moneypak.com/ProtectYourMoney.aspx#Scams.
Police charge two
after Puna domestic abuse incident
Police charged two Puna men in connection with what started as a case of domestic abuse in Pahoa.
When Puna patrol officers responded to the abuse report Saturday, Christopher Thomas Gonsalves, 48, of Pahoa struck and threatened an officer and then fled the scene.
Police found Gonsalves and arrested him Sunday. He was taken to the Hilo police cellblock while detectives from the Area I Criminal Investigations Section continued the investigation.
Gonsalves was charged Tuesday afternoon with first-degree terroristic threatening, assaulting a police officer and abuse of a family/household member. His bail was set at $22,000.
Detectives also arrested his son, Gordon A.E. Gonsalves, 21, of Pahoa Tuesday morning and charged him with second-degree hindering prosecution for using force against an officer to allow his father to get away. His bail was set at $500.
Filipino Chamber ex-president
sentenced for fraud
HONOLULU — The former president of Hawaii’s Filipino Chamber of Commerce who allegedly lied about his income to secure a loan will serve 30 days in a federal prison.
The FBI said Stephen Callo was sentenced Monday afternoon in Honolulu.
The Star-Advertiser reported Callo pleaded guilty to wire fraud in exchange for federal prosecutors dropping 13 other charges.
Callo was one of 14 people indicted in August 2010 for making false statements on loan applications involving 46 residential properties in Oahu. A certified public accountant, Callo allegedly prepared and signed letters with false employment histories of loan applicants.
Honolulu FBI Special Tom Simon said regulatory authorities may strip Callo of his CPA license.
Callo was also ordered to pay $3,000 in fines and be on probation for three years.
Navy concerned
about JPAC’s plans
HONOLULU — A Hawaii-based military command responsible for finding, recovering and identifying missing-in-action service members is at odds with the Navy over exhuming unidentified soldiers from the USS Oklahoma.
The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported Monday the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command wants to exhume all of the Dec. 7, 1941 casualties of the USS Oklahoma buried at Punchbowl cemetery.
But the Navy prefers to maintain the “sanctity” of the graves.
It will be up to the Army, which has “next-of-kin” authority over all Punchbowl unknowns.
JPAC Central Identification Laboratory Director John Byrd said the command proposes disinterring remains of more than 330 Oklahoma crew members buried in more than 50 graves.
JPAC also wants to disinter and try to identify crewmen from the battleships California and West Virginia.
Top admiral expects more deferred maintenance
HONOLULU — The Navy’s top uniformed officer says federal budget cuts may force the service to defer $80 million of maintenance work on Hawaii-based ships in in the upcoming fiscal year.
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan Greenert told retired sailors and business leaders at a Navy League luncheon on Monday the maintenance plans were “at risk.”
Greenert said automatic federal budget cuts, known as sequestration, are prompting the Navy to cut 14 percent from its budget for the next fiscal year. Manpower expenses are exempted from the cuts.
But the amount of work deferred may be different. Greenert told reporters after his talk the Navy still needs to determine how it will prioritize its maintenance work around the world.
Spent military flare removed from beach
LIHUE, Kauai — A spent military flare that washed up onto a Kauai Beach has been removed.
The 2-foot metal cylinder was spotted last week on Marine Camp Beach on the island’s east side.
The devices are used in sea rescues and activate when they hit water.
Kauai police removed the cylinder Monday.
Hawaiian apologizes after girl denied boarding
HONOLULU — Hawaiian Airlines has apologized to an Oahu couple more than a month after their 11-year-old daughter was barred from boarding a flight back home to Honolulu.
Shelby Jordan’s parents had arranged for her to fly home from Dallas as an unaccompanied minor on a Virgin American flight to Los Angeles and then on a Hawaiian Airlines connecting flight from LA to Honolulu.
But Hawaii News Now reported when Shelby and an escort from Virgin America got to the Hawaiian counter in LA, they were told she could not board the flight back to Honolulu.
A Hawaiian Airlines spokeswoman said the airline mistakenly sold an “unaccompanied minor” ticket to Shelby Jordan. She said Hawaiian’s policy is to not accept reservations for children traveling alone on “code share” flights.
Maui man sentenced to 18 years for dealing methamphetamine
HONOLULU — A federal judge is sending a Maui man to prison for more than 18 years for leading a methamphetamine ring.
Chief U.S. District Court Judge Susan Oki Mollway sentenced John Lee Balberdi of Wailuku on Tuesday.
The U.S. Attorney’s office said the 39-year-old was arrested and prosecuted after Maui police seized more than one pound of pure methamphetamine from the Kahului home of one of Balberdi’s associates in 2009.
Prosecutors said Balberdi admitted distributing another 40 pounds of methamphetamine between March 2007 and February 2009.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Maui Police Department.
By local and wire sources