Newswatch

By Star-Bulletin Staff

Monday, February 22, 1999

Three plead not guilty to stealing from school

Three men charged with breaking into Maryknoll School this month and stealing computer and audio-visual equipment pleaded not guilty today to two counts of second-degree burglary.

Circuit Judge Michael Town set trial for Jesse Kapololu, Tommy Lee Hong and Daniel Lee Suan Jr. for the week of April 26.

Kapololu, who has admitted to a drug problem, was on probation at the time of the incident. His criminal record includes convictions for break-ins at three schools in 1997.

Hilo gets nearly a foot of weekend rainfall

HILO -- The skies dumped nearly a foot of rain on Hilo over the weekend, causing inconvenience but no major damage.

The National Weather Service reported 4.83 inches of rain Saturday, 4.8 inches yesterday, and 1.28 inches from midnight to 5 a.m. today, for a total of 11.01 inches.

Hawaii County Civil Defense Director Harry Kim received reports of minor flooding along the island's entire east coast.

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Police, Fire



By Star-Bulletin staff

POLICE

Speed, alcohol may be factors in fatal crash

Speed and alcohol may have contributed to a crash in Waipahu early yesterday that killed one man and injured another, said police vehicular homicide investigators.

A 20-year-old Waipahu man, who was a passenger in an eastbound 1989 Honda Civic that went off the H-1 Freeway near Managers Drive overpass at about 4 a.m., was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

The driver of the car, 25, is listed in guarded condition at Queen's Hospital.

Through the first 52 days of the year, eight people have died on Oahu's roads, compared with six over the same period in 1998.

The Civic was observed traveling at a high rate of speed when the driver lost control near the overpass, said Sgt. Karen Houston.

The vehicle climbed up an embankment, where it struck a traffic sign and utility pole, police said.

The pole fell on top of the car, police said.

Leeward Drive Inn in Waipahu robbed

A gunman yesterday robbed Leeward Drive Inn in Waipahu, a short time after police completed a burglary investigation at the site.

The robbery at 94-209 Pupukahi St. was reported at 3:30 a.m.

The gunman confronted the owner of Leeward Drive Inn, ordered him into the office and fled with two cash drawers, police said.

Police said the suspect is still at large.

Police had called the owner to Leeward Drive Inn about an hour earlier while investigating an attempted burglary.

Big Island home suffers $100,000 fire damage

HAWI, Hawaii -- A fire fueled by gasoline from two personal watercraft on a North Kohala lanai spread to the house, causing $100,000 in damage this morning, the Fire Department said.

The 1:37 a.m. blaze, of unknown origin, spread to old tires the crafts were resting on, then burned a room and a hallway of the house, causing extensive smoke damage, the department said.

The home is owned and occupied by Gary Vincent, firefighters said. They said about $125,000 of the home's value was saved.

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