Policeman pleads not guilty to threatening charge
The officer allegedly confronted a tire shop's owner over damage
A Honolulu police officer facing trial on federal drug charges pleaded not guilty yesterday in state Circuit Court to threatening a Waipahu shop owner in a dispute over a tire.
James L. Corn Jr. was indicted Sept. 14 by an Oahu grand jury on a first-degree terroristic threatening charge. He is accused of threatening Larry Woodward, owner of Larry's Discount Wheel & Tire, in Waipahu in a Feb. 21 incident.
Corn allegedly confronted Woodward over damage to a tire he had purchased for his Camaro and pushed Woodward. At the time, Woodward did not know Corn was a police officer. Woodward told the Star-Bulletin in February that when he asked Corn to leave, Corn responded, "I'm a policeman. I can do anything I want."
After Corn left, he allegedly called back and threatened to kill Woodward several times. One of those calls allegedly occurred while police officers responding to Woodward's report were still at the shop.
Trial has been set for Dec. 5.
Circuit Judge Derrick Chan confirmed bail for Corn at $25,000, but Corn likely will not be freed any time soon. He is being held at the federal detention center without bail on a federal charge of distributing crystal methamphetamine.
He was arrested Aug. 25 after allegedly accepting $1,000 from a purported drug dealer to provide security during an "ice" transaction that occurred moments earlier at Starbucks in Ward Centre. The dealer was actually an undercover officer.
Corn faces a Nov. 8 trial in that federal case.