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Newswatch
Star-Bulletin staff and wire service
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Airport security guard indicted
A former Wackenhut of Hawaii security officer is facing federal charges in connection with an altercation between Wackenhut employees and Pacific Wings airline employees at Kahului Airport in 2005.
A federal grand jury returned an indictment yesterday charging Robert Tam Ho with two counts of witness tampering.
Tam Ho instructed a subordinate Wackenhut employee to tell Maui police that she did not see Tam Ho assault Pacific Wings security coordinator William Goshorn in an airport conference room on Oct. 20, 2005, when in fact she did, according to the indictment.
Tam Ho also directed the worker to write a false statement about the assault, the indictment says.
Maui police arrested Goshorn on third-degree assault charges and Pacific Wings President James Greg Kahlstorf for alleged harassment and resisting arrest based on statements from Tam Ho and other Wackenhut employees.
Less than a month later, Maui police arrested Wackenhut security officer Eric Brown for allegedly threatening another Pacific Wings employee at Kahului Airport.
Wackenhut suspended Brown, and the state Department of Transportation banned him from working on any state property or facility.
Superferry traffic measures eased
WAILUKU» A report on Hawaii Superferry-related traffic at intersections near Maui's Kahului harbor found vehicles were moving through the area at an acceptable pace.
During a meeting with lawyers Friday, 2nd Circuit Judge Joel August said he will temporarily lift an order requiring officers to direct traffic in the area when the Superferry arrives and departs.
The judge initially ordered traffic-control officers to staff intersections in response to a lawsuit filed by the Maui Tomorrow Foundation and the Kahului Harbor Coalition.
They charged the state Department of Transportation failed to conduct an adequate environmental study for Kahului harbor improvements planned to accommodate the Superferry.
Maui County joined the suit.
Arena gets new air conditioning
The city expects to complete this month an overhaul of the Neil S. Blaisdell Center Arena's air-conditioning system at a cost of $5.8 million.
Before the repair, about 20 percent of the previous system had failed and could not be repaired since parts were no longer available, Russell Takara, deputy director of the city's Department of Design and Construction, said in an e-mail recently.
Replacement of the older system began December 2006.
The new system, built by Carrier, is expected to save 1.1 million kilowatt hours in electricity a year, resulting in $275,000 saved a year or 950 fewer tons of carbon dioxide reaching the atmosphere, Takara said.
Built in 1962, the arena first had its air conditioning replaced in 1984. That system was expected to last about 15 years, Takara said. The new system is expected to last 15 to 20 years.
The Neil Blaisdell Center's concert and exhibition halls have separate air-conditioning systems.
Star-Bulletin staff and news services
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Police, Fire, Courts
Star-Bulletin staff
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WINDWARD OAHU
Arson suspected in house fire
Police opened an arson investigation into a house fire in Enchanted Lake yesterday morning.
Firefighters responded to the 5:35 a.m. blaze at an unoccupied home on Kamahele Street yesterday.
The blaze was extinguished by 6:41 a.m., causing about $45,000 damage to the structure. Fire investigators determined the fire was intentionally set in one of the bedrooms, said fire Capt. Robert Main.
HONOLULU
Teen arrested after stabbing during fight
Police arrested a 14-year-old boy after he allegedly stabbed one man and injured another during a fight at the Sand Island State Recreation Area Friday night.
Police said the circumstances surrounding the 11:30 p.m. incident were still unclear, but a 23-year-old man and a 21-year-old man were taken to the Queen's Medical Center after the fight. Police and an emergency services spokesman said the 23-year-old, who was in serious condition, had been stabbed and the 21-year-old, in serious condition, sustained other injuries. The boy was arrested on two counts of attempted second-degree murder.
Woman allegedly bites police officer
Police said a 47-year-old woman attacked a police officer while she was being taken to the Queen's Medical Center from Waikiki for a mental evaluation.
Shortly before 1:20 a.m. yesterday, the woman was being transported to the Queen's Medical Center by a police officer from Waikiki. Police said the woman freed herself from her restraint and kicked out the rear passenger side window of the police car. The woman then allegedly pushed and bit the officer.
Police arrested the woman on suspicion of second-degree assault on a police officer.
NEIGHBOR ISLANDS
Blaze damages house in Waimea
Big Island firefighters are still investigating the cause of a house fire in Waimea that caused $200,000 in damage Friday night. At about 8:19 p.m., firefighters responded to the fire on Uhiwai Street.
The home's three occupants were not home. The fire was under control by 11:15 p.m. and extinguished by 1 a.m.
Star-Bulletin staff