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Newswatch
Star-Bulletin staff and wire service
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Assault case goes to grand jury
HILO » The Hawaii County Prosecutor's Office has dropped sexual assault charges against alleged child molester Peter Bailey in favor of grand-jury proceedings.
Bailey, 49, of Laupahoehoe, was caught in the act of repeated sexual assaults against a 12-year-old girl at the Hamakua Coast Assembly of God church Sunday night, according to police documents filed in District Court. He was arrested Wednesday for alleged parole violation.
He had been on parole since 2003 after serving 23 years of a life sentence for murder, robbery and kidnapping.
Dropping the charges gives the prosecutor more time to investigate the case before seeking an indictment, which the office plans to do, the prosecutor's statement said.
It also means Bailey will be held without bail for the parole violation charge. Bail in the sex assault case had been set at $300,000, with Bailey unable to post it.
With the charges dropped, a preliminary hearing set for today will not take place.
First Deputy Prosecutor Charlene Iboshi said a hearing on revoking Bailey's parole will probably be scheduled by the Hawaii Paroling Authority sometime within 60 days.
According to police documents, Bailey picked up the girl at her home, saying he was taking her to choir practice at the church. Neighbors have said they did not see any sign of choir activity Sunday night. The church has not responded to telephone calls.
Suspected MIA remains returned
HANOI, Vietnam » The suspected remains of three American soldiers killed during the Vietnam War have been sent back to the United States, a U.S. official said yesterday.
Three cases holding the likely remains of three American soldiers left Da Nang in central Vietnam in a military aircraft headed for Hawaii on Wednesday, said Ron Ward, an official of the U.S. MIA, or Missing in Action, office in Vietnam.
They are to be identified at a military laboratory in Hawaii, Ward said.
Man indicted in throat slashing
An Oahu grand jury has indicted a man accused of slashing a woman's throat with a razor blade in the McCully area Saturday on a charge of first-degree attempted assault.
Jay Kalahele turned himself in to police eight hours later. Bail has been set at $100,000.
Kaimuki roadwork to slow traffic
There will be lane closures at the intersection of South King Street, Kapiolani Boulevard and Waialae Avenue near the Market City Shopping Center in Kaimuki from 9 tonight to 5 tomorrow morning.
The closure is due to lane re-striping. The Department of Transportation advises motorists to use caution in the area and allow for extra travel time.
Coming this weekend in your Star-Bulletin:
Saturday
Keeping Faith: An Olivet Baptist Church hula group and local entertainers ease the pangs of homesickness for Hawaii female inmates in a Kentucky prison with performances and gifts of flowers and goodies, such as mochi crunch and li hing mango.
Sunday
Business: There is a growing recognition among Hawaii businesses that fit employees make for healthy companies. Happy people are less likely to be sick, more likely to stay on the job and less likely to need medical care that would result in higher health premiums.
Also, local stock expert Dwight Melton jumped aboard the stock market express during the first half of the year and rode the momentum to a 23.7 percent gain in the Star-Bulletin's sixth annual survey of best investment ideas.
Today: Next week's Pan-Pacific Gamba Gathering will celebrate the viola de gamba, a bowed string instrument popular in 16th- to 18th-century Europe that was the precursor to the cello. The instrument, with its delicate sound, is making a comeback as it captivates an international array of modern musicians.
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Police, Fire, Courts
Star-Bulletin staff
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Woman dies after scuba diving
A 60-year-old woman died yesterday after she was believed to have experienced trouble while scuba diving off Maunalua Bay.
At about 10:30 a.m. yesterday, the woman was on a diving boat in the proximity of Turtle Canyon, a spot popular among divers off Hawaii Kai where there are many turtles and fish. Fire officials did not have the name of the scuba diving charter.
Police dispatch said she was unresponsive.
She was taken by ambulance in critical condition to Straub Clinic & Hospital, where she was pronounced dead, said Bryan Cheplic, spokesman for city Emergency Medical Services.
The name of the woman has yet to be released by the medical examiner.
NEIGHBOR ISLANDS
Driver arrested in fatal SUV crash
Big Island police arrested a Kawaihae man on Monday in connection with a sport utility vehicle crash in Honaunau last Friday that left a 33-year-old Hamakua man dead.
The suspect, 21, was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, negligent homicide, driving without a license and other offenses. He was later released without charge pending further investigation.
At about 4:05 p.m. last Friday, a man was driving a 2000 Jeep Cherokee SUV north on Route 11 near the 99-mile marker when the SUV ran off the right side of the road, struck an embankment and overturned, police said.
Passenger Jules Anjain of Hamakua was transported in critical condition to Kona Community Hospital and pronounced dead. Police said speed and alcohol were factors in the crash.
Anyone with information is asked to call officer Marvin Troutman at 326-4646, ext. 229, or acting Sgt. Wendall Carter at 961-2332.
WEST OAHU
Assault follows attempted robbery
Police arrested a 19-year-old man who allegedly punched and tried to rob a 31-year-old man in Waipahu early yesterday.
Police said that at about 12:30 a.m. the suspect approached the victim and demanded money. Police said the suspect punched the victim numerous times and fled. The suspect was later found on Pupuole Street and arrested on suspicion of second-degree robbery.
Argument brings alleged gun threat
Police arrested a 43-year-old man Wednesday night for allegedly threatening another man with a gun.
The suspect was at home with his family in Ewa, and a 30-year-old man was waiting outside the home for his girlfriend, police said.
The suspect went outside at about 7:30 p.m., and an argument ensued, police said. The suspect allegedly pulled a handgun and threatened the victim. Police were called and arrested the suspect on suspicion of first-degree terroristic threatening.