While writing for "Baywatch Hawaii," we came up with some pretty bizarre story lines but nothing as strange as the armed shakedown of a shrimp truck owner by a couple of thugs working for a femme fatale Godmother trying to take over the catering industry. Shrimp truck heist:
Cook ’em, Danno
By Charles Memminger
cmemminger@starbulletin.com
If I had mentioned such a plot during one of the story development meetings, I would have been laughed out of the writer's trailer, and not in a good way.
But that's the interesting thing about life, it's almost always more weird than art.
It is a fascinating story. According to what's come out in court so far, a local entrepreneur, Troy Nitsche, became a partner with businesswoman Connie Aragona in her catering business, which included his sole ownership of one of the original shrimp trucks. Shrimp trucks have become local icons, parked along the highways in the country, painted white and completely covered with graffiti and notes from customers. Ironically, such a shrimp truck actually was featured in some of the first episodes of "Baywatch Hawaii."
Apparently, business in the shrimp truck market is booming. Who would have thought it? I just imagined they were barely scraping by financially.
According to court testimony, Aragona wanted to regain full control of the shrimp truck business from Nitsche, and she wasn't going to do it with lawyers. Instead, she brought in a couple of local toughs. Nitsche said he arrived for what he thought was a run-of-the-mill business meeting with Aragona only to find a gun put to his head. He says he was choked and smashed in the head with the gun before agreeing to sign over his interest in the business. After being released, Nitsche went to the cops, and Aragona was arrested for robbery, theft, kidnapping and extortion. At this writing, her hired muscle had not been charged.
I'm sorry Nitsche got roughed up and terrified, but looking at what happened purely from a historical view of criminality in Hawaii, it's a pretty colorful incident. It sort of harks back to the days of crime boss Henry Huihui, whose strong-arm men extorted anyone and everyone, including the company building the Circuit Court building.
We don't know for sure what prompted the shrimp truck incident. I assume Nitsche was making so much money that Aragona wanted back into the shrimp game, and she was willing to play hardball to do it. If it were a movie or an old "Hawaii Five-0" episode, the shrimp truck takeover would just be the beginning of a plot to corner the entire roadside comestible market. "First we grab the shrimp trucks, then the manapua wagons and finally, the crowning glory of our vast criminal enterprise: the shave ice stands! (Get Odd Job, we're going to need his hat.)"
All right, it's no laughing matter. Somebody could have been hurt. And the incident, no matter how it turns out, is bound to leave a sad stain on the entire shrimp truck industry.
I just hope it's not too late to buy the screen rights.
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