Newswatch Star-Bulletin staff and wire service

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Ball python found on Big Island

A Hilo resident discovered a large injured snake that appeared to have been run over by a car, according to the state Department of Agriculture.

The ball python is 3 feet 8 inches long and appears to have a thick, healthy girth, according to Agriculture Department spokeswoman Janelle Saneishi.

The resident, who lives on the same block as the Hilo office of the Agriculture Department, found the snake on the side of the road.

A woman happened to see the snake as she passed by the home on Lanikaula Street and reported it at 7:30 a.m. yesterday to the Agriculture Department.

Plant quarantine inspectors found the resident and several people watching the snake in a plastic container.

Due to its injuries, the snake was euthanized.

Ball pythons are not venomous and are common in the pet trade on the mainland, the Agriculture Department said.

Meanwhile, a snake spotted on Marine Corps Base Hawaii in the early-morning hours of April 16 in Kaneohe on Oahu has not been captured or seen again.

The person who observed the snake saw only the tail of it and identified it as a possible brown tree snake, which has decimated the bird population of Guam.

Nightly searches were conducted for two weeks following the sighting. Traps are still out and periodic searches are being made.

The Agriculture Department warns that snakes, having no natural predators in Hawaii, threaten the environment, including native birds. Larger snakes could endanger humans and small pets.

A person found in possession of illegal animals can be charged with a Class C felony and is subject to a $200,000 fine and three years in prison.

Anyone with information on illegal animals is asked to call the pest hot line at 643-PEST (7378).

Talk focuses on fish populations

Charles Birkeland, with the Hawaii Cooperative Fishery Research Unit, University of Hawaii Department of Zoology, will explain in a free public talk Thursday at the Bishop Museum why it is sometimes best for fishermen not to take the larger fishes.

Speaking from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in Atherton Halau, Birkeland will describe how the role of some of the larger individuals of a species can be important for the reef community and fish population.

For some populations, he said, the larger fish have the reproductive potential of more than 200 medium-size individuals and produce healthier and faster-growing offspring in some species.

Birkeland's lecture is part of the museum's Research Seminar Series.

Jury hung in murder-attempt trial

A circuit judge declared a mistrial yesterday in the case of a man accused of setting his girlfriend on fire.

Kim Massey was on trial for attempted murder and first-degree arson for allegedly setting Marie Siarot on fire in his Honokai Hale home Oct. 5, 2006.

Massey, 51, said Siarot caught fire after he tripped and spilled a mixture of lamp oil and gasoline on her.

Siarot testified that Massey poured gasoline on her. She said she caught fire when Massey grabbed her hand and the lit lighter that she was holding.

The jurors deliberated less than three days before informing Circuit Judge Steven Alm that they were deadlocked. He will meet with the lawyers for both sides Monday to set a date for a new trial.

Police, Fire, Courts Star-Bulletin staff

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Man accused of knife threat

Police arrested a 44-year-old man, who has no local address, yesterday afternoon in Kailua for allegedly kicking his 23-year-old girlfriend and threatening her with a knife.

Police said the man kicked the woman in the stomach, then took out a knife and placed it against her neck.

The woman called 911 and reported the 2 p.m. incident.

Police arrested the man at 3 p.m. on suspicion of first-degree terroristic threatening and abuse of a household member.

HONOLULU

Police seek male suspect in robbery

Police are looking for a man in his late 20s who allegedly attempted to rob a cashier at a retail store in Kalihi.

Police said the 20-year-old male cashier was approached by a man who allegedly passed him a note demanding money.

The cashier could not open the cash drawer, and the suspect fled on foot without any cash, police said.

The robbery attempt occurred sometime before 10:40 a.m. yesterday.

WINDWARD OAHU

Man allegedly attacks woman

Police charged a 34-year-old Waimanalo man who allegedly grabbed a woman by her hair and dragged her out of a car.

Martin Pestana was charged yesterday with two counts of unauthorized entry into a motor vehicle.

Police said he had entered a 35-year-old woman's car in Kailua, grabbed her by the hair and dragged her out of the car. He also allegedly damaged her cell phone and stole her keys.

Pestana also allegedly entered her car again at 12:13 a.m. Sunday, grabbed her again by her hair and slammed her head against the car, police said.

In both instances, Pestana reportedly fled.

Pestana was arrested yesterday at his home on the unauthorized-entry offenses, along with fourth-degree theft and fourth-degree criminal property damage.

Bail was set at $25,000.