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Pilot flies from L.A to Hawaii in record time
Coloradoan Steve Fossett, who failed in his attempt two years ago to float nonstop around the globe in a balloon, succeeded yesterday in setting a new Los Angeles-to-Hawaii record flying his jet. He landed here four hours, 11 minutes and 15 seconds after leaving California.Fossett averaged 609 miles an hour in his Citation X twin-engine jet, breaking the 17-year-old point-to-point record for the 2,552-mile journey set by Brooke Knapp, who averaged 497 miles an hour.
Fossett said he faced fairly neutral 45-knot head winds at the start and ended with 45-knot tail winds.
Fossett also broke the Los Angeles-to-Hawaii commercial jet record that was set by a TWA 747 in 1993. That jet was clocked at 566 miles an hour.
After spending a few hours on the ground here, Fossett returned to California and his home in Beaver Creek, Colo.
Books, videos donated to Hawaii children
Dorling Kindersley Publishing planned to donate 35,000 copies of "My First Word Book" today to help Hawaii's children learn to read."I Am Your Child," a national campaign, is also donating copies of its Early Literacy video to organizations around the state. The campaign is to educate parents and professionals about the importance of the prenatal period through age 5 in shaping the way children learn, think and behave.
UH gets $1.74 million software grant
Software valued at more than $1.74 million has been given to the University of Hawaii School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology for processing and interpreting earth-science data.Faculty members applied for the software through Landmark Graphics Corp.'s university grants program.
The software is being used to process and interpret sets of data collected by SOEST scientists on research ships.
"This software allows us to give our students hands-on experience with the leading-edge technology currently used by the energy industry," said the school's dean, C. Barry Raleigh.
Lt. Frank Fujii is HPD's employee of quarter
Police Chief Lee Donohue honored Lt. Frank Fujii this week as the Honolulu Police Department's employee of the quarter for his work in assisting fellow officers and the families of victims in last November's multiple slayings at Xerox Corp. on Nimitz Highway.Fujii, HPD's peer-support coordinator, coordinated debriefings for 260 people, including officers and Xerox employees.
Also honored were:
The Waianae Crime Reduction Unit, as HPD's unit of the quarter.
Sgt. John Ayat and his nine officers made 734 arrests last quarter, including 32 for felony offenses.
Surpassing the standards
In the courts
Kalihi man indicted in wife's stabbing death
An Oahu grand jury has indicted Saturnino Millon, 37, of Kalihi on charges of second-degree murder in the slaying of his wife.Erlinda Millon, 35, was found bleeding from stab wounds to the chest Saturday in the kitchen of their Desha Lane apartment.
Officers sent to investigate a domestic argument asked Saturnino Millon what was going on and he said, according to court documents, "My wife is in the kitchen, I killed my wife."
The couple have six children, 8 months to 12 years old.
Millon is being held on $100,000 bail and will be arraigned in Circuit Court at a later date.
Millon was under court order to stay out of trouble until 2003 after the court accepted his no-contest plea to two counts of terroristic threatening relating to a domestic assault in March 1998.
His wife accused him of physically assaulting her and holding a bolo knife to her throat March 26, 1998, a month after she had given birth to their fifth child. She noted that he accused her of having boyfriends, called her names and yelled at her.
She filed for a temporary restraining order a few days later that would have prohibited him from coming near her or the children, but she withdrew the request at a Family Court hearing the following month.
Judge sees Xerox office, will rule on jury's visit
The judge presiding over the trial of accused multiple murderer Byran Uyesugi visited the Xerox building Wednesday and will rule April 7 on whether to allow jurors to view the scene of Hawaii's worst multiple killing.Prosecutors have asked that jurors be allowed to visit the site of the November shooting in which seven of Uyesugi's co-workers were fatally gunned down.
Circuit Judge Marie Milks said it would be inappropriate to comment on her visit. She was at the building for about a half-hour, accompanied by defense and state counsel. Prosecutors and attorneys for Uyesugi declined to comment on the visit.
The state had requested last week that jurors be allowed to visit the building to assist them in determining Uyesugi's state of mind at the time of the shootings.
Prosecutor Peter Carlisle had argued that Uyesugi's selection of a restricted area that lacked escape routes as the "area of attack" shows an "organized thought process" that indicates whether his actions were the result of a "diseased mind" vs. an "evil mind."
Uyesugi's attorneys opposed the request, saying the jury will be presented with a lot of evidence relating to the scene. They also cited logistical and security problems.
Uyesugi's trial is set for May 15.
Ruling expected on suspect's mental fitness
U.S. Magistrate Francis Yamashita will rule April 7 on whether a man charged with murdering a Big Island park ranger is fit to proceed with trial.Eugene Frederick Boyce III, 30, has since returned from a mainland facility where he has been undergoing a mental examination to determine if he is mentally competent to stand trial, assistant U.S. Attorney Lou Bracco confirmed yesterday.
Boyce is being held without bail for the Dec. 12 shooting death of Steve Makuakane-Jarrell, 47, who was investigating complaints about Boyce's three dogs at Kaloko-Honokohau National Historic Park.
Federal public defender Peter Wolff declined comment on the results of the examination or what defense he expects to raise.
The examination was limited to determining Boyce's ability to understand the proceedings and charges before him and whether he is able to assist in his defense.
Whether Boyce was legally insane at the time of the shootings was not part of the examination.
The murder charge is a capital offense that carries a possible death penalty if Attorney General Janet Reno approves. Wolff said he hasn't heard if she has decided to allow the death penalty to be sought in this case.
Texas attorney Richard Burr, an expert in capital punishment cases, has been appointed to assist in the defense, Wolff said.
Burr represented convicted Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh during his trial.
Judge upholds child molester's guilty verdict
U.S. District Judge Susan Oki Mollway has refused to set aside a federal jury's verdict convicting Johnny Etimani, 34, of sexual molestation of a 6-year-old child for whom he was caring at Schofield Barracks in 1997.A defense attorney had asked that Etimani be acquitted in spite of the March 17 verdict because of insufficient evidence.
Etimani had been convicted in 1997 of lewd and lascivious conduct on a child in California.
Police, Fire, Courts
By Star-Bulletin staffHonolulu Police Department Crimestoppers
Three arrested in drug, weapon raid in Nanakuli
Police arrested three people and seized drugs, cash, jewelry and an assault rifle in a raid yesterday on two Nanakuli homes. Search warrants were executed at 6:30 a.m. on units A and B at 87-1051 Hakimo Road.A man, 29, and woman, 27, in Unit B and another woman, 56, in Unit A were booked for multiple drug offenses.
Narcotics/Vice Capt. Kevin Lima said the man and older woman were arrested for similar offenses at the same address in May 1998.
Police seized two pounds of cocaine, valued at $27,000-$50,000 on the street; a half-ounce of crystal methamphetamine; 10 grams of marijuana; drug paraphernalia; $3,500 cash; $2,500 worth of jewelry; and an assault rifle.
Two men, 19, charged in purse-snatching
Police have charged two 19-year-old men with second-degree robbery for allegedly snatching a purse Tuesday at a Makiki bus stop.Andrew Arakaki and Ronny Ayala were each being held in lieu of $50,000 bail.
Arakaki allegedly grabbed the purse of a woman, 50, at Alexander Street and Wilder Avenue at about 8 a.m. and fled in a car driven by Ayala. They were arrested on Lunalilo Street shortly after.
Man charged in sex assault on girl, 14
A 39-year-old man was charged today with second-degree robbery, kidnapping and third-degree sex assault for Monday night's alleged restroom attack on a 14-year-old girl at Hard Rock Cafe.Ernest Holmes of Kaiulani Avenue was being held in lieu of $150,000 bail, said Sex Crimes Det. Dennis Kim.
Additional charges against Holmes stemming from two other reported attacks are pending.
California man found dead off Kauai beach
POLIHALE STATE PARK, Kauai -- A 35-year-old California man was found floating face down about 50 yards offshore at Polihale Beach yesterday afternoon.The death is being classified a "possible drowning" pending the results of an autopsy, The man's body was recovered by surfers and bystanders. He was declared dead at Kauai Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waimea at 2:40 p.m.
Big Isle man dies after driving truck into ravine
WAIMEA, Hawaii -- A Big Island man died Wednesday after he drove his pickup truck into a pasture while apparently drunk, then went down a 150-foot-deep ravine, police said.He was identified as Wayne White, 51, of North Kohala.
His passenger, Matthew Chaikin, 44, of Hawi, said White drove off Kohala Mountain Road, through a fence and into the pasture at about 9 p.m. Monday.
White got out, checked the truck, then continued to drive, rolling down the ravine. White, not wearing a seat belt, was thrown from the truck. Chaikin, who wore a seat belt, said he stayed at the scene until morning, then hitchhiked to Waimea.
Help needed to find man missing since March 5
Police are seeking help in locating Robert Lefevre, 27, who was last seen March 5 at Office Depot in Waimalu Shopping Plaza.Lefevre is 6 feet 2, 170 pounds, and was wearing a red Office Depot polo shirt and black pants. He drives a 1990 red Nissan Sentra, license number FYJ-464. Call 955-8300 if you have information.
Man in Kalihi Valley standoff held on bail
A Kalihi Valley man involved in a four-hour standoff with police Monday has been charged with first-degree burglary and first-degree terroristic threatening.Chester Jamorabon is being held in lieu of $60,000 bail. The charges stem from his actions in a dispute with his landlord's son over a pair of sunglasses.
Kapolei man allegedly assaulted truant son, 8
A 27-year-old Kapolei man, who allegedly struck his 8-year-old son repeatedly with a broomstick for missing school, has been charged with second-degree assault.The boy suffered cuts and bruises on his legs, hands and face.
