A 66-year-old man convicted of attempted murder after he shot his estranged wife at a busy Kakaako intersection a year ago will serve at least 20 years in prison because he used a semiautomatic gun. Shooter sentenced
to 20 years in prisonBut Circuit Judge Wilfred Watanabe ruled that the remaining sentences for Roman Perez run concurrently.
Jurors also convicted Perez of attempted assault, reckless endangering and firearms charges in the July 26 incident.
Deputy Public Defender William Jameson argued that Perez was under stress because his wife, Nova, was having an affair with another woman.
He also focused on Perez's age and health, saying he suffers from asthma and bronchitis. In a statement before sentencing, Perez apologized and said he didn't mean to shoot his wife.
Nova Perez, a Hawaii Newspaper Agency mailer, reluctantly testified during his trial that he had threatened to kill her on at least two occasions before he shot her in the side.
Perez testified that he wanted his wife, 32, to come back to him.
He said he fired shots on South and Queen streets only to get her to stop to talk to him.
He also testified that he planned to shoot himself in front of her to give her something to remember for the rest of her life. The two married in 1988 after they dated for a couple of years.
Jameson said Nova Perez had withdrawn his Social Security money from their joint account and Perez feared his son would end up homeless without it.
The first time Stephen T. Boggs portrayed Sanford B. Dole in a re-enactment of the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy, jeers from the audience made the retired anthropology professor anxious and nervous. Actors resurrect isles'
dark past in palace uprising"By the second day, apparently after the word had gotten around, they began giving us a real hissing and booing," Boggs said.
"Glenn Grant, who was the narrator of the show, had to interject before we came on each time, 'Please remember these people are actors and they're not reflecting their own views.' We were nervous enough that we appreciated his remarks."
Boggs again assumes the role of Dole -- president of Hawaii's provisional government in 1893-1894 who became Hawaii's first territorial governor -- during a dramatization of the proclamation that created the Republic of Hawaii on July 4, 1893.
The event begins at 10 a.m. tomorrow at Iolani Palace and is sponsored by "Of Sacred Times & Sacred Places," a coalition of organizations and individuals striving to preserve the knowledge of Hawaiian history.
The play continues until noon, followed by music, workshops, entertainment and food booths until 2 p.m. The event is open to the public. Organizers ask that no alcohol be brought onto palace grounds. The public is encouraged to participate in the production.
Taxi drivers complain new rules at Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve would let the city charge commercial groups for taking tourists down to the reef. City gets some flak
on Hanauma rulesOthers, however, endorse the new rules, saying a cap of 2,000 people at the beach during any time and an all-day closure on Tuesdays will be good for the bay.
The arguments were made during an administrative hearing on the new rules yesterday by the city Parks Department.
The department should decide on the rules in the coming weeks.
Parks permitting chief Ron Nakano said the new rules give the city the option of hiring a commercial tour concessionaire.
But no decision has been made on whether to do that, he said.
Currently, all that's allowed at the beach of Hanauma Bay are people arriving in cars, the city bus, taxis and specially authorized dive groups.
Bus tour groups can only view the bay from the lookout and must leave within 15 minutes of entering the parking lot.
In the past, Mayor Jeremy Harris has suggested that it would be more advantageous to have a commercial operation take visitors into the bay.
The majority of visitors now use TheBus, and the mayor says the city loses money rather than making a profit.
Bill Kamau of Hanauma Bay Express Taxis said that allowing tour concessionaires into the bay would rake in money for the city and take away money from legitimate businesses like his.
"What about the other public waiting in line to get in?" Kamau said.
Father Damien, where are you? Traffic forces Damien
to take a vacationResidents and visitors may be asking that question this summer when they find the statue of the famed 19th century missionary missing from its spot in front of the state Capitol.
The answer: in storage somewhere on the island so work can be done on the statue's pedestals.
The problem is South Beretania Street, or more specifically, the vibrations caused by traffic along the street.
According to the state Foundation on Culture and the Arts, the rumblings of cars, buses and other vehicles have caused the statue's three pedestals -- one vertical and two horizontal -- to shift and separate.
Consequently, the statue of the Rev. Joseph Damien DeVeuster, who spent his last 16 years helping leprosy victims on Molokai before contracting the disease, has moved a bit.
"It's like if you're sitting on your swivel chair and you kind of turn to the right a couple of degrees," said project manager Jon Johnson. "That's what he's done."
Additionally, the agency said skateboarders performing a maneuver called an "axle grind" have contributed unsightly dings and cracks to the bottom pedestal, which is made of concrete with a granite veneer.
The state has awarded a $159,343 contract to Ideal Construction Inc. to fix the situation.
Shawn Enos, project manager for the Sand Island general contracting firm, said the work should take about five weeks. A firm start date has not been decided yet.
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Police/Fire
By Star-Bulletin staffThe Coast Guard and Navy are tracking a fishing vessel suspected of using high seas driftnets in the open ocean. Coast Guard, Navy track
suspected driftnetterOperators of the boat, which is about 280 miles east of Japan, say it is from China.
A Canadian Air Force P-3 aircraft spotted the vessel engaged in driftnet fishing on June 26, about 1,150 miles northwest of Midway.
The Coast Guard cutter Basswood intercepted the 130-foot vessel Tuesday and has been following it since.
Large-scale driftnet fishing is generally prohibited by treaties and international agreements.
Police are looking for a man in his 30s who allegedly shot at a group of Pearl City teen-agers last night. Man fires shots
at Pearl City teensPolice said five teen-agers, who were apparently drunk, were hanging out on the corner of Lehua Avenue and 1st Street in Pearl City about 10:30 p.m.
Police said one of the teen-agers, a 17-year-old boy, approached the suspect and asked for a cigarette.
The suspect took out a knife and began swinging it at the teen-ager saying he was going to kill the boy, but not rob him, police said.
The suspect left and then returned with a 9 mm semiautomatic pistol. Police said the man fired three rounds at the teen-agers, who had run into the street. No one was hurt, police said.
Other Police/Fire headlines
in today’s Star-Bulletin:
- Woman in critical condition after being hit by car
- Police ask public's help in Haleiwa skeleton case
- Drinking-driver checkpoints to be set up
See expanded coverage in today's Honolulu Star-Bulletin.
See our [Info] section for subscription information.
