Teen faces charges
of attempted murder

His school principal says people
need to report odd behavior

By Jaymes Song
Star-Bulletin

Police have charged a 16-year-old Pearl City High School boy as a juvenile for allegedly slashing his former girlfriend with a sword Monday afternoon on Noelani Street near Hoomalu Street.

The boy was charged yesterday with second-degree attempted murder.

Police said he apparently was upset over a recent breakup with the girl, an eighth-grader at Highlands Intermediate School.

The 13-year-old girl was walking home from school when she was attacked.

She was upgraded from critical to fair condition at Queen's Hospital.

Five students at Highlands sought counseling because of the incident, but school officials are expecting more today.

"We have counselors who have experience with this kind of trauma," said principal Jane Himeda. "We have prepared to work with kids and are anticipating to have the kids come in today."

"They realize this is not a common occurrence. We teach them to resolve conflicts peacefully without physical violence. They don't understand why a boy had to go this way."

Pearl City High School principal Gerald Suyama said his students have not been impacted a great deal because the incident happened off campus and the boy did not have many close friends.

The boy, a sophomore, transferred to Pearl City in the middle of his freshman year. School officials describe him not as a trouble maker, but as a "very quiet" student who earned decent grades.

The boy also had been in contact with school counselors for undisclosed reasons.

Suyama urged parents to report any kind of odd behavior or threats that their children make.

"You can't take things lightly anymore," he said. "They need to tell us about it to help youngsters who are disturbed and having problems get help. The lives of teen-agers are very fragile."

Of this incident, Suyama said: "I really feel badly for the young lady. I hope things work out for her -- not just physical, but for her mental well-being."

In an unrelated incident, a Radford High School girl was charged with first-degree terroristic threatening for allegedly threatening a boy with a knife yesterday.

Police said the threat took place when the two students got into an argument at their Salt Lake school at about 8:30 a.m.

School officials said the girl is in the special education services program.

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Star-Bulletin writer Rod Ohira contributed to this report