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Newswatch
Star-Bulletin staff
and wire service
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Seat belt campaign begins tomorrow
Buckle up, Hawaii.
Beginning tomorrow through June 3, the state Department of Transportation and the four county police departments will be conducting their annual "Click It or Ticket" seat belt enforcement campaign.
The campaign will focus on young adults, 18 to 25, and pickup truck drivers, the groups rated lowest in compliance with seat belt laws.
The law requires all front seat occupants and back seat occupants under age 18 to wear seat belts. Violators are subject to a $92 fine.
Child passengers under age 4 are required to sit in a child safety seat. Drivers who violate the child passenger restraint law must attend a four-hour class and are subject to a fine of between $100 and $500.
Hawaii ranked No. 1 in seat belt usage following last year's campaign, with 95.3 percent usage compared with the national average of 82 percent.
Aloha joins fare war with midweek discount
Aloha Airlines announced yesterday that the airline is matching a $59 round-trip inter-island fare for travel on weekdays from June 9 through September 30.
Mesa Airlines kicked off the latest fare war, offering a "Midweek Madness Sale" for travel Monday through Friday between Honolulu and Hilo and Kona on the Big Island; Lihue, Kauai; and Kahului, Maui.
Hawaiian Airlines matched the fare Friday.
Mesa required a round-trip purchase to qualify for the $59 fare. But Aloha and Hawaiian said if seats are not available in both directions, the one-way equivalent of the $59 sale fare can be combined with another fare in the other direction.
UH tearing down 54-year-old Frear Hall
The 54-year-old Frear Hall dorm at the University of Hawaii at Manoa is scheduled to be torn down this summer, the university announced in a news release.
UH-Manoa is working with a private developer to build a new 814-bed dorm on the site of Frear Hall and hopes to open the new dorm by the fall of 2008.
Construction will start tomorrow on a 12-foot-high construction and dust fence. Workers will then begin removing asbestos in floor tiles and underground fuel storage tank.
Actual demolition of the building is expected to take place beginning June 19 and should take about 3 weeks.
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Police, Fire, Courts
Star-Bulletin staff
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LEEWARD OAHU
Driver held in alleged attempt to kill witness
Police arrested a 31-year-old man in connection with an attempted murder case in Ewa Beach last month when a man tried to run over another man with a vehicle.
The incident happened on April 1 at about 1 p.m. Police said the suspect tried to run over a 32-year-old male victim after the victim allegedly witnessed the suspect cause an accident and tried to stop him from fleeing the scene. The suspect was later positively identified by the victim and two other witnesses in a photo lineup and police located and arrested him on Friday for second degree attempted murder.
Shotgun possession joins burglary charge
A 32-year-old man was charged with burglary while allegedly carrying a loaded shotgun in the vehicle he was in last month.
Police said on April 5 Myron Hamasaki and another man were seen burglarizing a woman's house in Waianae. Police were called and saw both suspects fleeing in a vehicle that was later found abandoned. Officers later located the driver of the vehicle and arrested him for burglary and for having a shotgun and ammunition in the vehicle.
Then, on Thursday police said they located Hamasaki, the passenger of the vehicle, during an unrelated auto theft case. Hamasaki was charged with burglary and three firearms offenses. His bail was set at $40,000.
NORTH SHORE
Friends revive diver rescued from seafloor
A 34-year-old free diver was revived by his friends after he got into trouble while diving on the North Shore, according to ambulance crews yesterday.
The group was diving in Haleiwa when it noticed that the victim was missing at about 1:30 p.m., said Honolulu Fire Department spokesman Capt. Chris Ah Mook Sang. The victim's friends eventually located him at the bottom of the ocean in about 30 to 40 feet of water.
The friends got the victim back on their boat and called for help on a cell phone. While heading towards the Haleiwa Boat Harbor, one of the friends performed CPR on the victim, regaining a heartbeat, according to Emergency Medical Services spokesman Bryan Cheplic. Once back on land, the victim was taken to the Kuakini Medical Center, where he was reported in serious condition.
"My guys said it's a miracle," said Cheplic.
HONOLULU
Beating outside club leads to man's arrest
A 32-year-old man was arrested in an assault in a nightclub parking lot, according to police yesterday.
The incident took place along Halekauwila Street just after 3 a.m.
Police said the suspect allegedly punched the victim, 24, numerous times in the face, causing him substantial facial injuries. The victim was taken to an area hospital for treatment and police arrested the suspect for second degree assault and for allegedly carrying a switchblade knife.
Altercation reveals yet another smoke hazard
An difference over cigars versus cigarettes allegedly led a man to attack another with a sickle in Kalihi Friday night.
Police said at 8:10 p.m. the suspect, 27, allegedly asked the victim, 55, for a cigarette. However, when the man told the suspect that he only smoked cigars and walked away, the suspect became upset. He allegedly grabbed a sickle and allegedly slashed the right forearm of the victim.
The victim sustained a three inch laceration which needed medical attention. Police were called and the suspect was located and arrested for second degree assault.
WINDWARD OAHU
Man held in alleged sex assault on girl, 6
Police said a 6-year-old girl was allegedly sexually assaulted by a family member over a four day period in Kaneohe.
The incident took place from April 28 to May 1. The suspect, a 48-year-old man, was arrested for first degree sex assault on Friday.
Police are not releasing any other details about the case.
Ex-boyfriend charged in alleged threats
A 26-year-old woman was allegedly attacked by her ex-boyfriend because she was talking to another man last night in Kaneohe.
Police said the suspect became angry while at a nightclub. The victim and a 37-year-old man went to the woman's house on Henry Street. The ex-boyfriend allegedly parked in front of their vehicle and walked over and grabbed her friend through the driver's side window and threatened his life.
Police said the suspect then allegedly went over to the woman's side of the vehicle and pulled her out through an open door to the ground. The woman's parents and the man were able to detained the suspect and called police. The suspect was arrested for unauthorized entry into a motor vehicle, second degree terroristic threatening, and harassment.
