Newswatch Star-Bulletin staff and wire service

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Man is arrested in murder plot

A document courier was arrested at Circuit Court yesterday after a grand jury indicted him on charges of criminal solicitation to commit murder.

According to yesterday's indictment, Anthony Mark Albert asked a man to murder his ex-wife's boyfriend, identified as Michael Chu, last February.

On Feb. 28 a police officer reported that a confidential informant told him about the plot, and another police officer, working undercover using the name "Paco," met Albert on March 6 at the makai end of the Honolulu Zoo parking lot, according to the police affidavit.

Albert told the officer he wanted the killing to look like it was done during a robbery, the affidavit said.

He told the officer he paid someone $5,000 to kill the boyfriend, but that person reneged on the job, the affidavit said.

Albert told the undercover officer that the boyfriend owned a business on Sand Island, which would be a location for the killing, the affidavit said.

The officer told Albert that it would cost between $15,000 and $20,000 for the killing; Albert agreed with the amount and said he could sell property to come up with the money, according to the affidavit.

The officer dropped off Albert at his home, and Albert handed him a $100 bill for his time, the affidavit said.

On March 7, Albert was identified from a photo lineup, and he was first arrested Nov. 8 at Circuit Court.

Sick man is airlifted from ship

The Coast Guard hoisted an ill man from a motor vessel about 100 miles northeast of Hilo on Tuesday.

The 42-year-old man was on the Panamanian-flagged motor vessel Maja Vestida when he complained of severe stomach pain, vomiting and breathing problems.

The fishing vessel called the Coast Guard at about 3 p.m. Saturday when it was still about 1,000 miles offshore and later sailed to within reach of rescue crews.

A Coast Guard flight mechanic hoisted the ill man, a Philippine national, from the vessel and took him to the Queen's Medical Center.

Yoshioka is transportation chief

The City Council confirmed Wayne Yoshioka yesterday as transportation director after he repeatedly assured the Council there would be no conflict of interests with his previous employer.

Yoshioka, 53, told councilmembers at a City Council meeting yesterday that he would recuse himself from any financial decisions involving engineering consulting firm PB Americas, his longtime previous employer.

Chuck Totto, the city's ethics commissioner, recommended that Yoshioka remove himself from any decisions that could result in the awarding or change in contracts for PB Americas since Yoshioka's wife still works for the company.

Yoshioka, 53, was a senior supervising transportation engineer for PB Americas, which was awarded a $79 million contract by the city last year for environmental and engineering studies on the planned mass transit system.

Ban on begging near ATMs OK'd

The City Council unanimously approved a bill yesterday intended to protect residents and tourists by banning anyone from aggressively begging for money within 10 feet of automated teller machines.

The measure was introduced by Councilman Charles Djou, who was responding to a request from the Waikiki Neighborhood Board that said the problem is especially widespread in Waikiki.

"It is unfortunate that (this bill) is needed," Djou said at yesterday's City Council meeting. "My bill is not going to put an end to crime, nor is it going to fix the homelessness problem. But it is going to protect residents and tourists from intimidation or harassment."

The bill, which is based on legislation enacted in other cities, would ban only aggressive panhandlers from being within 10 feet of an ATM user. Violators will be fined $25. Activities still allowed include individuals sitting with a sign asking for money or playing a musical instrument.

Head of Hongwanji school named

A veteran educator who teaches at the University of Phoenix has been selected as Hongwanji Mission School's next head of school.

Carol H. Riley will assume the position in July. She has worked at all levels of education, from elementary to college, and has held numerous executive positions.

Riley has received several professional awards. She was recognized as superintendent of the year in Orange County, Calif., in 2002; principal of the year for the Capistrano Unified School District in San Juan Capistrano, Calif.; in 1990, and teacher of the year in Kansas City, Mo., in 1974.

Police, Fire, Courts Star-Bulletin staff

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LEEWARD COAST

Cell phone helps locate hurt hiker

A fire helicopter crew rescued an injured hiker in his 40s last night whose location on Kaena Point was determined using global positioning system technology to locate the man's cell phone.

The helicopter crew lowered a net down to the man, who had a sprained ankle but was able to climb into the net on his own, fire Capt. Earle Kealoha said.

Air-1 airlifted the man at 8:27 p.m. and within five minutes brought him to his car parked on the Mokuleia side of Kaena Point, Kealoha said. The man declined medical attention.

The man was trying to hike out on a service road along the shoreline at Kaena Point, and would have had difficulty hiking to his car, Kealoha said.

The man called 911 at 7:23 p.m., and dispatchers were able to obtain the approximate coordinates of his location using his cell phone. Dispatchers also relayed information to fire rescue crews, who had difficulty keeping in cell phone contact with the man.

HONOLULU

Police seek robber of Kalihi bank

Police are looking for a man in his 20s who robbed the Kalihi branch of American Savings Bank yesterday morning.

Police said the man walked into the bank at 1851 N. King St. at 11:19 a.m. yesterday, approached the teller and handed the teller a demand note.

He fled on a gray bicycle and was seen heading east on North King Street.

The man is described as 5 feet 8 inches tall, 140 pounds, and was wearing a white T-shirt, gray baseball cap, floral-print shorts, dark slippers and a gray backpack.

Anyone with information is asked to call CrimeStoppers at 955-8300 or *CRIME on a cell phone.

EAST OAHU

Off-duty officer nabs theft suspect

An off-duty police officer helped catch a suspected auto theft suspect.

Police said the officer saw a man driving a car in Kapahulu at about 6:10 p.m. Tuesday. Police said the officer saw the man assaulting a 19-year-old woman who was sitting in the passenger seat.

The officer called in the assault and then learned that the car had been reported stolen.

Uniformed officers arrived and arrested the suspect, 24, for investigation of auto theft and third-degree assault.