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Newswatch
Star-Bulletin staff and wire service
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Helicopter makes hard landing
POLIHALE, Kauai » A helicopter on contract with the state made a hard landing at Polihale State Park on Kauai yesterday, a witness said.
No one was injured in the accident, according to Patrick Morrah, a Kekaha resident who was at the state park when the accident occurred.
The engine "just coughed and died," Morrah added. "We ducked down and" heard it crash.
"I saw that thing crash right before my eyes," he added.
Ken D'Attilio, owner of Inter-Island Helicopters, did not return a call seeking comment, and a receptionist at the company could not confirm the accident.
However, state transportation officials confirmed the hard landing but had few other details last night.
Morrah said that at about 11:45 a.m. he and a friend were standing atop a sand dune at Polihale when the chopper, carrying its fifth load of trash from Kalalau State Park, made a loud sound about 30 feet above the ocean, 50 feet from shore, and smoke began to puff out of the main rotor engine.
The pilot of the red Inter-Island chopper was able to land it near the state's staging area, but the tail appeared to fall off.
The state park rangers "all shouted 'run'" and ducked for cover as the helicopter came in, Morrah added.
The pilot, the lone occupant in the helicopter, appeared uninjured.
Inter-Island is the only helicopter company contracted on Kauai by both the state and county to do rescue and retrieval missions. It is also contracted to fly Department of Land and Natural Resource conservation officers to remote parks to clean the area and cite illegal campers.
Inter-Island has suffered two fatal crashes in recent years. On Dec. 25, 2005, D'Attilio's son, Jonathan, 20, died when the helicopter he was flying crashed as he was helping the Kauai Fire Department fight a forest fire in Kapaa.
In March 2007 an Inter-Island chopper on a sightseeing tour suffered the loss of a tail rotor and put down hard in Haena. Michael Gershon, 60, of Walnut Creek, Calif., died in the accident.
Lingle not near Israeli attack site
Gov. Linda Lingle, attending a conference in Israel, was a safe distance away when a rocket fired from Gaza exploded in a shopping center in the southern city of Ashkelon yesterday, injuring 14 people.
Lingle was in Jerusalem, about 30 miles away, when the attack occurred, her office said.
The rocket ripped through the roof of a mall in Ashkelon, causing a large chunk of the ceiling to collapse in a huge pile of rubble and twisted metal. Four windows were blown out of the side of the building.
Lingle is in Israel this week attending the "Facing Tomorrow" conference, billed as a gathering of international leaders discussing worldwide trends and developing proactive solutions to global challenges.
She is scheduled to return to Hawaii tomorrow.
Man sentenced in sex assault
A 19-year-old woman said her hope of maintaining her virginity until marriage was shattered when she walked into the Kailua Jack in the Box in the early morning hours of Aug. 31 while drunk.
Elia Hauanio and other restaurant employees allowed the woman to sleep in the dining area, which was closed. When the woman awoke, she told police Hauanio was raping her.
Afterward, Hauanio and the other employees kicked the woman out of the restaurant because the manager was coming, said Leilani Tan, deputy prosecutor.
Circuit Judge Richard Perkins sentenced Hauanio, 23, of Waimanalo, to 10 years in prison yesterday for two counts of second-degree sexual assault and one for third-degree sexual assault.
Perkins also sentenced Hauanio to five years in prison for a 2003 auto theft case to which Hauanio pleaded no contest and was given the opportunity to keep off his criminal record. Both prison sentences will run at the same time.
Hauanio had been charged with one count each of first-, second- and third-degree sexual assault.
In a plea agreement with the state, Hauanio pleaded guilty in February to second-degree sexual assault rather than face the first-degree sexual assault charge, which carries a higher penalty.
The victim said she suffers depression, anorexia, paranoia and nightmares from the event.
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Police, Fire, Courts
Star-Bulletin staff
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CENTRAL OAHU
2 men sought in beating at gym
Police were looking for two men after a 28-year-old man was found critically beaten in Wahiawa last night.
About 9:15 p.m., Wahiawa police responded to a call about an assault at the Whitmore Gym. When they arrived, they found the victim injured and no suspects.
Police said a witness reported seeing two men hitting the victim, then fleeing. The victim was taken to the Queen's Medical Center in critical condition. Police described the suspects as being about 20 years old. They are wanted for investigation of first-degree assault.
WINDWARD OAHU
Man, 40, charged in sexual assault
A 40-year-old man with no local address was charged with three counts of third-degree sexual assault of a teenage girl.
Authorities charged Frank Bortmas on Tuesday with sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl in a Kailua residential area.
Bortmas allegedly sexually assaulted her from Oct. 1 to March 31.
His bail was set at $20,000.
HONOLULU
Mo-ped driver arrested after fall
Police arrested one of two mo-ped drivers who were allegedly speeding through Makiki early yesterday.
Police said an officer saw the mo-peds at about 12:45 a.m. and gave chase. One of the mo-ped drivers lost control on oil-slick pavement and fell, police said.
The officer stopped and then learned that the mo-ped had been reported stolen. The officer arrested the driver, a 33-year-old man, for investigation of auto theft and reckless driving.
The other mo-ped driver got away, police said.
Photo released of ATM theft suspect
Police released a photo of a man in his 20s who allegedly used a woman's automated teller machine card at the McCully Zippy's.
The woman made a transaction using her ATM card at 4 p.m. April 6 and left it in the machine at 1725 S. King St., without ending the transaction, police said.
The man, described as having brown, wavy hair, went to the machine immediately afterward and withdrew cash from her account.
Anyone with information is asked to call CrimeStoppers at 955-8300 or *CRIME on a cell phone.
WEST OAHU
Owner helps find stolen vehicle
A man tracked down his own stolen vehicle in Waipahu and led police to the arrest of the 17-year-old suspect on Tuesday.
Friends of the man told him that his stolen vehicle was spotted in Waipahu, so he checked the area himself and found it, police said.
The man followed the vehicle and, while following it, called police on his cell phone. Police officers responded and stopped the driver.
The driver, a 17-year-old boy, was arrested for unauthorized control of a propelled vehicle and driving without a license. He was released pending further investigation.
COURTESY CRIMESTOPPERS
CrimeStoppers and the Honolulu Police Department are seeking the public's assistance in locating and identifying this female wanted for theft.
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Woman in dress sought after theft
Police are looking for a woman who was wearing a pink dress when she allegedly stole a wallet at 2:15 p.m. April 7 from a cashier counter at a Pearl City gas station.
Police said the woman entered the Pearl City Tesoro at 98-1277 Kaahumanu St. and allegedly removed the wallet left by a customer on the counter. She then left the store, got into a white 1999 Ford Explorer and put the wallet under the front seat, police said. Her actions were recorded on videotape, police said.
The woman is described as in her 20s to 30s, 5 feet 4 inches tall, 180 pounds, with brown hair, and wearing a pink dress, slippers and glasses.
Anyone with information is asked to call CrimeStoppers at 955-8300 or *CRIME on a cell phone.