Newswatch

By Star-Bulletin Staff

Friday, February 19, 1999

Harriet Mizuguchi
to leave hospital

A robber beat the Senate president's
wife and left her with a hairline
fracture above the eye

By Craig Gima
and Rod Ohira
Star-Bulletin

Senate President Norman Mizuguchi said he expects his wife to be released from Queen's Hospital today, after she was struck on the head with a rubber mallet during a robbery Wednesday.

"We ran several tests. She had sustained some head injuries but I am happy to tell all of you and to our friends and supporters out there that she is on the road to recovery and is doing very well," he said after the end of yesterday's Senate session.

"Of course crime has no boundaries, and anytime you have an incident like this, I can feel and I have compassion for the victims and families who go through this," he added.

Police are seeking the public's help in identifying the man who beat Harriet Mizuguchi, owner/president of Hawaii Malls Inc.

Police said she suffered a hairline fracture above one eye and other facial injuries.

The suspect is a young man, about 5 feet 8 inches and 160 pounds, with short blond hair. He was wearing a gray vertical-striped T-shirt, light gray pants and carrying a light-colored sailor's hat.

The man entered Harriet Mizuguchi's first-floor office in the Gentry Pacific Design Center at 560 N. Nimitz Highway at about 4:30 p.m. while her back was turned, police said.

She was struck in the back of the head with the mallet and, when she turned around, the suspect hit her several more times on the head, according to police.

"She was working in the office by herself, and so she was surprised by the attacker," Norman Mizuguchi said.

The suspect then removed a wallet from her purse and fled on foot, police said. He was last seen running across Nimitz Highway and through a nearby Union 76 service station.

Police have reports that several people may have chased the suspect. Anyone with information is asked to call CrimeStoppers at 955-8300.

---

Power outage in Makiki caused by Mylar balloon

A balloon tangled in electrical lines caused 140 businesses to lose power today in the Makiki area.

The Mylar balloon got caught on electric wires at Pensacola and Young streets, causing a short circuit at the Piikoi power substation about 8:30 a.m., said a Hawaiian Electric Co. spokeswoman.

Most businesses had power restored within 30 minutes. Some businesses lost power for hours but one of those, First Hawaiian Bank on Beretania Street, said a generator prevented problems.

Cayetano on mainland for meetings, business

Gov. Ben Cayetano was to arrive in Washington, D.C., this afternoon for this week's meetings of the National Governors Association, the Western Governors Association and the Democratic Governors Association.

He will be there for five days meeting with President Clinton, Commerce Secretary William Daley, congressional leaders and the ambassadors of China and Japan. Topics will be the economy, information technology and education, a Cayetano spokeswoman said.

Then on Tuesday, Cayetano and state officials will head to Silicon Valley south of San Francisco in an effort to lure high-technology companies to Hawaii.

Joining him for 2-1/2 days of meetings will be Senate Education and Technology Chairman David Ige (D, Newtown), House Vice Speaker Marcus Oshiro (D, Wahiawa), House Higher Education Chairman David Morihara (D, Makawao), House Energy Chairwoman Hermina Morita (D, Hanalei) and University of Hawaii President Kenneth Mortimer.

Public hearing to look at state elections boss

The public will get a chance to testify on whether chief election officer Dwayne Yoshina should be reappointed. The Elections Appointment Panel set a March 16 public hearing on Yoshina's reappointment and will be accepting written testimony till then. The panel will decide whether Yoshina stays on the job running the state's elections.

CORRECTIONS A story about Internet marketing last June stated that publicist Scott Donovan had registered the domain address infomaui.com. According to domain registrars InterNIC, however, the site is actually owned by David M. Wolff of Maui. Monday's story about U.S. anti-missile defense systems included an incorrect number of testing successes. Of 15 tests carried out on an anti-missile defense system in the past 15 years, two have succeeded. The story wrongly said 13 had succeeded. John Edmunds is the defense attorney for Jeffrey Stone. A story in Tuesday's late edition said incorrectly that Edmunds was the attorney for Bishop Estate trustee Henry Peters.

See expanded coverage in today's Honolulu Star-Bulletin.
See our [Search] [Info] section for subscription information.

---

Police, Fire



By Star-Bulletin staff

Fire in Moiliili routs residents of high-rise

Flames ripped through a Moiliili apartment last night, leaving a family of four homeless.

More than 100 residents were evacuated when the fire started at about 8:30 p.m. inside a 12th-floor apartment at Hono Hale Towers on Kuilei Street, fire officials said.

No one was inside the two-bedroom apartment when the fire started.

Seven fire companies had the blaze under control in about 30 minutes.

The residents of the apartment are receiving Red Cross assistance.

Foul play is not suspected, fire investigators said.

Appliances from the apartment will be examined by city electrical inspectors today to determine a cause.

Damage estimates were not available this morning.

Theft suspects nabbed on H-1 in Kalihi

Police yesterday arrested three suspects accused of going on a shoplifting spree at the Windward and Waikele malls.

The suspects, two 15-year-old boys and a 27-year-old woman, reportedly stole clothing from the Liberty House, Bugle Boy, DKNY and Everblue stores at about 7 p.m., police said. An all-points bulletin for their car was made by police, and the suspects were apprehended on the H-1 Freeway in Kalihi.

Each of the three was booked on four counts of second-degree theft.

Police arrest 3 men in prostitution sting

Three men have been arrested for allegedly soliciting sex from an undercover female police officer in Waikiki.

A 48-year-old Waikiki man, a 20-year-old Honolulu man and a 51-year-old man from New Hampshire were all arrested between 10 p.m. yesterday and 12:20 a.m. this morning on Kalakaua Avenue, police said.

Shoplifting suspect tripped up by onlooker

Police yesterday charged a shoplifting suspect who was caught after a witness tripped him.

Anthony Scipo was charged with second-degree theft, police said. He is being held on $11,000 bail.

Scipo is accused of stealing sunglasses from a store in Waikiki at 5:45 p.m. on Wednesday. While fleeing from the security guard, a witness tripped him, police said. Scipo was treated for injuries from the fall.

Police hunt pair in armed robbery

Police released composite sketches of two armed robbery suspects responsible for the Feb. 8 holdup of Silva's Grocery and Liquor store at 91-455 Ewa Beach Rd.

The suspect who was armed with a revolver is 20 to 30 years old and of medium build. His accomplice was called "Junior" during the robbery.

See expanded coverage in today's Honolulu Star-Bulletin.
See our [Search] [Info] section for subscription information.