Newswatch
By Star-Bulletin Staff
Saturday, August 1, 1998
Newswatch
By Star-Bulletin Staff
Saturday, August 1, 1998
In a three-hour reverse-sting operation Friday on Pua Lane, police arrested 22 men and eight women for third-degree promotion of a dangerous drug after they purchased crack cocaine from undercover officers.
Despite arresting 195 people, including 37 sellers, and seizing 82 vehicles for forfeiture in 10 such operations since July 1994, police have been able to halt trafficking for only short periods of time in the triangle that includes Kanoa Park, Pua Lane and Akepo Lane.
The "Safe Streets Act," however, is a federal hammer that could make a significant difference in the latest operation, says Kalihi Maj. Stephen Watarai.
The federal statute prohibits the distribution of illegal drugs within 1,000 feet of public schools, parks or housing projects.
If convicted, a first-time offender faces a minimum one-year prison sentence. One federal prosecutor says the penalty "gets very serious" for those with prior convictions.
Seven of 10 sellers from this week's crackdown were indicted for Safe Streets Act violations and appeared Friday in federal court.
U.S. Magistrate Barry Kurren ordered Ene Augafa, 24, to be held without bail due to his past criminal history and the fact that, while on parole, he is being charged for dealing drugs within 1,000 feet of Kaiulani Elementary School and Mayor Wright Housing.
Tapuita Tauanuu, 27, Fuamete Fuiava, 33, Elton Saole, 23, and Lawrence Solomua, 29, were released on $25,000 signature bonds, placed under 24-hour house arrest with electronic monitoring, and ordered to stay out of the Chinatown-Kalihi area.
Both Kurren and U.S. Magistrate Francis Yamashita warned those released not to violate the conditions of their supervised release.
For example, Yamashita warned Saole, "it's not pleasant waiting in Oakland for trial."
Jury trials for Sione Finau, 19, and Denver Fola, 26, were scheduled Friday for Sept. 29, while Kirisimas Faumui, 24, will have a detention hearing Monday.
Two others indicted -- Alan Vitu and Billy Maae -- are currently in state custody, but will likely be turned over later to federal authorities.
"The federal statute has a mandatory prison sentence, so now there's a consequence and the consequence is immediate," Watarai said.
Depending on their criminal records, buyers arrested Friday also could face federal prosecution for Safe Streets Act offenses.
"Our message is not only sellers get arrested in Kalihi," Watarai said. "If you buy drugs in Kalihi, you're going to get arrested, too, and there's now a consequence for buyers.
"What we want to do is dry up the demand, because if there's no demand, there's no supply."
Police seized for forfeiture eight vehicles, valued at over $28,000, in Friday's operation.
Except for people with outstanding warrants, all of those arrested were released pending further investigation.
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Those are some of the responses of Kamehameha Schools teachers, students, parents and alumni to a $500,000 report authored by mainland-based Peterson Consulting L.L.C.
In a news conference Friday, members of the Kamehameha Schools Faculty Association; Na Kumu o Kamehameha, which represents 230 Kamehameha Schools teachers and staffers; and Na Pua a Ke Ali'i Pauahi, whose membership includes about 2,700 students, parents and alumni, said the Peterson report gives an incomplete picture of the educational progress at the school.
It also fails to address a major cause behind the controversy: allegations of micromanagement by Bishop Estate trustee Lokelani Lindsey, they said.
Jan Dill, a Na Pua vice president, believes the Peterson report was intended as a legal defense of Bishop Estate trustees at the expense of estate assets.
The state attorney general's office has opened an investigation into allegations of financial wrongdoing by trustees, who oversee Kamehameha Schools. Two trustees -- Gerard Jervis and Oswald Stender -- have filed court papers seeking Lindsey's removal, saying she breached her fiduciary duties and was unfit to serve.
"The children of Kamehameha (Schools) are being exploited for the personal gain of your trustees," Dill said. "The resources that were spent on the Peterson report are a fraud -- a fraud perpetrated by the majority trustees because it was an attempt to defend their own self-interest rather than to reach forward for the betterment of Kamehameha Schools."
The Peterson report said Chun lacked the leadership skills to operate the schools and blamed him for the formation of a faculty union on campus. The study also said trustees did not seek input from students, parents and alumni on key decisions that affect the schools.
It makes no direct reference to Lindsey, whom critics said took away much of Chun's authority and micromanaged the campus.
Bishop Estate spokesman Kekoa Paulsen defended the review, saying the Peterson firm had no preordained conclusions when it started the study several months ago. He said the report was designed to help trustees and administrators improve the school system.
An attorney for Lindsey could not be reached for comment.
Larry McElheny, president of the Kamehameha Schools faculty union, said the report unfairly blamed Chun for the formation of the union. He said teachers and staffers support Chun but started the union because trustees usurped Chun's authority.
"He's getting the blame but not the authority," McElheny said.
Teachers and faculty members said they still are reviewing some of the findings of the 190-page report. But they acknowledged that some of the criticism in the report is valid.
Dill cited Peterson's critique of the Kamehameha Schools athletic facilities as undersized or in disrepair. The school's athletics building, for instance, was renovated last summer under a $480,000 nonbid contract but remains unfinished and unsafe, the report said.
The study also said a $470,000-a-year security guard contract with a company headed by Big Island businessman Larry Mehau may be unnecessary.
And one of them, the Washington-based Human Rights Campaign, the largest organization opposing the amendment, used its political action committee to launch a radio counteroffensive Friday. The 30-second spots are intended to blunt 60-second spots that the Hawaii Family Forum started airing earlier this week.
"Ours will run as long as theirs are running," said David Smith, a senior strategist for the Human Rights Campaign.
Backers of the proposed constitutional amendment are framing it as a referendum on whether same-sex marriage should be allowed in Hawaii. Those who want the ballot measure defeated see it as an attack on the Hawaii Constitution, saying it would "deprive a specific group of citizens of a right they now have."
The fund-raising appeal for legalizing same-sex marriage -- made over the Internet -- was signed by the executive directors of the Human Rights Campaign, the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, the Lesbian and Gay Rights Project of the American Civil Liberties Union, and the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center.
Also signing the appeal was Lambda attorney Evan Wolfson of New York, who successfully argued before state Circuit Judge Kevin Chang in 1996 that gay couples should be allowed to marry. The case is on appeal before the state Supreme Court.
Her job was a little easier as Hospice of Hilo's fund-raising campaign, headed by electrical contractor Leonard Tanaka, started raising $2.3 million last year for a new counseling and training center.
The two-building facility near Hilo Hospital opened with ceremonies Saturday, thanks to the generosity of the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation and about 600 other donors. Another $200,000 is still needed, however.
The facility will serve about 200 clients this year, up from 140 last year, said Hospice Executive Director Brenda Ho.
"This is something we need to seriously look at, based on prudent business decision-making," Manager Cliff Jamile said.
His comments stem from Mayor Jeremy Harris' and Corporation Counsel David Arakawa's urging of the quasi-independent board to return $75 million in excess funds.
The board Friday unanimously approved Jamile's selection to head the agency as water manager and chief engineer.
Former Manager Raymond Sato defended the high cash balance and disagreed with Harris' description of it is a "surplus."
Jamile, 60, replaces Sato, who resigned in March to become state comptroller.
Jamile is a veteran of the water agency and has been chief of the Plant Operations Division since 1975.
Dylan last performed at the Royal Lahaina Tennis Stadium and Waikiki Shell in 1992 to poor reviews.
This time he's riding a new wave of popularity, thanks to a young audience who found out about the folk singer's early work after first listening to his son, Jakob Dylan, singer for The Wallflowers.
Tickets go on sale Aug. 15 for the 7 p.m. shows. Prices are $35 general on Oahu. On Maui, tickets are $50 and $42 reserved, and $30 for bleachers.
Tickets are available at the Maui center box office, Tower Records-Kahala and Pearl Kai, Tower Video Kapiolani, Hungry Ear Records-Makaloa, Kailua and Wahiawa, the Radio Free Music Center, Kaneohe MCBH, Bloch Arena and Schofield.
They also are available through Connection outlets at Blaisdell Center box office; Jelly's-Market City and Pearl Kai; House of Music Ala Moana; Tempo Music-Windward Mall, Kapolei, Maui Mall and Lahaina; University of Hawaii Campus Center; and the Waikiki Beachcomber Hotel MTI Desk.
Tickets also can be charged by phone at 545-4000 or 1-800-333-3388. Call 373-1520 for more information.
"I know this is against the (ethics) rules, but it was an honest mistake made by the mailing service contracted by my campaign committee," Koki said Friday.
Sue May, senior vice president of Cardinal Mailing Services of Honolulu, one of the state's largest mailing companies, said, "This is just an oversight. We apologize. Stan Koki had nothing to do with this."
May said the job was for a 5,500-piece mailing. That means 4 percent wrongly went to government offices.
The mailing was targeted at small businesses in selected ZIP codes that was drawn from a rented database, but her firm neglected to delete government offices from the list it compiled, May said.
Tagomori, who retired earlier this year after 35 years as a police officer on Oahu and Maui, was appointed marshal just last week by President Clinton.
He will replace Annette Kent, who was appointed by President Bush, in a job that includes providing protection to federal courts, apprehending fugitives and transporting federal prisoners.
Maj. Boisse Correa was promoted to assistant chief of the regional patrol bureau, which includes four of the eight patrol districts. Correa, an 28-year veteran of the force, has been a supervisor of many divisions, including Human Resources and the East Honolulu district patrol.
Other promotions include:
n Capt. Glen Kajiyama to major of the Human Resources Division.
n Lt. Bryan Wauke to captain of the Informational Resources Section.
n Sgt. Randal Macadangdang to lieutenant of the Central Honolulu patrol district, and Sgt. Margot Tang to lieutenant in Kalihi.
n Officers Gary John Goeas, Theodore Goo, Everett Hung, Chester Kahalepuna, Bonnie McKewen and Jon Okumura to the rank of sergeant.
Kapiolani Hospital contacted police after drugs were found in the 5-year-old boy's system shortly after he was admitted to the emergency room earlier this week, police said. Tests showed the boy had overdosed on cocaine.
Detectives believe the boy may have found and ingested the drugs.
The victim, Bernardo Acido of Honokaa, was a passenger in a car driven by Concordia Juan, 48, of Honokaa, police said.
Juan was in stable condition at North Hawaii Hospital.
The accident took place on Hawaii Belt Road when a car driven by Cynthia Murray, 46, of Honokaa spun out of control and hit Juan's car.
Murray was taken to North Hawaii Hospital in stable condition.
He was identified as Leonard Kepa, 33, of Honolulu.
The man and woman were abducted by two men from a Waikapu residence but managed to get out of the trunk and escape, police said.
The man fled and called police, who have been unable to locate the woman.
"They're still looking for her," Police Sgt. Arthur Dadez said this morning. The car was found near the Waiehu General Store.
She allegedly approached three other teen-age girls, said she had a gun, punched one in the face, and ran off with the victim's purse. The suspect was released to Child Protective Services following her arrest.
He is being held in lieu of $16,750 bail. Police also charged Cheryl Deleon, 24, his wife, with theft and other offenses and are holding her in lieu of $3,000 bail.
