Newswatch

By Star-Bulletin Staff

Monday, November 23, 1998

Lee, who bilked travel clients, to leave state

James K.S. Lee, awaiting sentencing on theft charges that he bilked travel agency customers of $900,000 for trips, was given permission this morning to move to Las Vegas to work.

"The state finds this very ironic," Deputy Prosecutor Chris Young said in opposing the request by the Jimmy's Travel owner for relocation.

Lee will be working for his sister, who is a florist, and making $1,500 a month gross. Lee promised that he would set aside $1,000 a month for restitution.

"He's not been able to find gainful employment here," Lee's lawyer Brian Pang told Circuit Judge Victoria Marks, citing the "adverse publicity" of the case.

Young, in noting the irony, objected to the request, saying that Lee is a flight risk and that customers who paid for trips to Las Vegas were never able to go themselves.

Lee is scheduled for sentencing in April.

Fallen pole closes section of Keolu Drive

A section of Keolu Drive between Hamakua Drive and Papalani Street was closed to traffic today due to a fallen utility pole.

A vehicle struck the pole at 8:15 a.m. A Hawaiian Electric Co. spokeswoman said the accident left about 1,500 customers without power.

Search party looking for Sacred Falls hikers

Firefighters today began searching at daybreak for two missing hikers in the Sacred Falls area. A roommate reported the man, 22, and woman, 20, missing last night at 10:30 p.m.

A Hauula fire company responded at 11:42 p.m. and searched unsuccessfully for about two hours.

Rights at 50+

The state Judiciary is sponsoring a free informational seminar to explain the legal rights of people aged 50 and older.

The seminar is noon Wednesday in the Hawaii Supreme Court courtroom at 417 S. King St.

Attorney Calvin Pang will address issues including age discrimination, Medicare and insurance.

He'll also talk about durable powers of attorney, and advance health-care directives, such as living wills.

Pang is a professor at the University of Hawaii's law school. He served as a staff attorney with the University of Hawaii Elder Law program, which provides legal services to the elderly.

For more information, call the Judiciary's public affairs office at 539-4910.

See expanded coverage in today's Honolulu Star-Bulletin.
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Police, Fire, Courts



By Star-Bulletin staff

Man held in shootout at Kakaako auto shop

Attempted-murder charges are pending against a 25-year-old man stemming from a shooting incident Saturday at a Kakaako auto body shop at 449 Koula St.

Ten shots were fired, and one bullet reportedly struck a passing trolley car, but no one was injured in the incident, which was reported to police at 4:40 p.m.

Police said the shop owner allegedly fired a shot from a .40-caliber gun into the ceiling during an argument with two men.

One of the pair left but returned with a gun. The second man allegedly attempted to return fire, but the gun jammed, police said.

The shop owner then allegedly fired nine shots at the pair as they fled, police said.

The shop owner was arrested on three counts of first-degree reckless endangering, first-degree terroristic threatening and firearms offenses, in addition to attempted murder. The second gunman, 25, was arrested but released without charges pending investigation.

Waianae man facing charge involving officer

A 48-year-old Waianae man was arrested last night for attempted murder after he allegedly tried to stab a police officer.

The officer was at 84-674 Farrington Highway at about 10:30 p.m. assisting an ambulance crew helping a man who may have been knocked unconscious in a fight.

After the ambulance left, witnesses saw the suspect, with a 6-inch-long knife, approach the officer from behind, police said. They warned the officer while the suspect's girlfriend moved to disarm him. He was arrested at 10:53 p.m.

In other news . . .

HILO -- A 30-year-old Hilo man apparently drowned off South Point on the Big Island yesterday, police said. The victim, Lance Kiyotsuka, was diving with two other people at an area called Broken Landing when he got separated from them by rough water, police and fire rescue officials said. He was pronounced dead at Kau Hospital at 3:53 p.m.

KAILUA-KONA -- A South Kona motorcyclist died Saturday night on Hawaii Belt Road at Kainaliu, police said. Daniel Waldron, 28, of Captain Cook was riding south about 7:20 p.m. when he hit a pickup truck from the rear, then veered into the oncoming lane, where he was hit by a sedan.

ORCHIDLAND, Hawaii -- Two men at a house in rural Orchidland Estates south of Hilo were surprised by three other men wearing ski masks and camouflage clothing and carrying semiautomatic rifles and cattle prods Saturday night, police said.

The victims in the 7:55 p.m. incident were tied with duct tape and blindfolded; the assailants stole a World War I Japanese rifle.

WAILUKU -- Sparks from a methane gas vent at the former Olowalu dump are suspected of causing a fire that burned about 10 acres of brush in west Maui yesterday, fire officials said. The fire blocked traffic between Lahaina and central Maui for an hour.

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