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Police, fire chiefs want their pay to equal mainland counterparts
Police Chief Lee Donohue, Fire Chief Attilio Leonardi and their deputies are calling for the city Salary Commission to raise their pay.Donohue and Leonardi each make $85,374 annually, the same as other city department heads but less than their equivalents at other major metropolitan areas, they testified.
Even worse, they said, because the pay of their deputy chiefs is set at 5 percent below the chiefs' pay, the deputies have seen their salary stay the same and exceeded by some union-represented assistant chiefs.
Leonardi said an assistant chief and six battalion chiefs made more than Deputy Fire Chief John Clark, who makes $81,102.
Donohue said six of seven assistant police chiefs make more than deputy police chiefs Michael Carvalho and Robert Au.
Au testified he recently took a $4,400-a-year pay cut to be promoted from assistant chief.
Leonardi said that much as he loves his job, "It would be nice to be compensated as well as our counterparts on the mainland who have far less employees and a much smaller area of responsibility to protect but are paid much more."
Uyesugi's lawyers want murder charges dropped
Attorneys for accused Xerox gunman Byran Uyesugi asked for a dismissal of the murder charges against their client, who is accused of shooting to death seven co-workers last year.The defense argued that in order for a grand jury to indict Uyesugi for first- and second-degree murder charges of the same individuals, jurors would have to find that Uyesugi acted with different and conflicting states of mind at the time of the alleged murders. The defense said the grand jury lacked sufficient evidence and could only speculate on Uyesugi's state of mind.
Deputy Prosecutor Kevin Takata said he believes the grand jury had sufficient evidence to support both charges. Takata said first-degree murder requires the intention to kill two or more people, while second-degree murder requires the intention to kill one person. Circuit Judge Marie Milks is scheduled to hear the request March 9.
Medicinal marijuana, shark finning bills OK'd
Bills involving marijuana and shark finning have been approved by the House Judiciary Committee.The bill legalizing the use of marijuana for medical purposes now goes to the full House.
The committee also passed a bill that requires fishermen to bring an entire shark to port if they wish to cut off the shark's fin and sell it.
Correction
An incorrect last name was given for Travis Bautiza, who competed in the 8-and-under group, in tennis results that ran in the sports section Monday.
Police, Fire, Courts
By Star-Bulletin staffHonolulu Police Department Crimestoppers
Man uses knife to rob Sunglass Hut in Waikele
Police are searching for a man who robbed a business at the Waikele Shopping Center at knifepoint last night.The sales clerk at Sunglass Hut closed the store and was preparing to leave at 9:30 p.m., police said.
As he walked out the back door with money from the day's sales, he was confronted by a man with a large knife.
The frightened clerk dropped the money, ran through the store and called police from a nearby business.
Unregistered sex offender arrested in Mililani
An armed and unregistered sex offender was arrested in Mililani yesterday.Officers were sent to stand by as a man evicted his 31-year-old grandson from an apartment at 2 p.m., police said. Upon entering the home, police found a sawed-off shotgun on the couch.
Canadian visitor killed in Maui auto accident
WAILUKU -- A visitor from Canada died after a two-car crash at an intersection in south Maui.Douglas Ganton, 79, of British Columbia, was driving a car on Kulanihakoi Street and made a left turn onto Piilani Highway, when it was struck by a vehicle at about 2:20 p.m. yesterday, police officer Reid Pursley said.
Two female passengers in the Ganton's car, both 63, were listed in satisfactory condition today at Maui Memorial Hospital.
Waikiki hotel fire under arson investigation
A police arson investigator was examining a Waikiki hotel fire this morning. The blaze was confined to room 406 of the Waikiki Grand Hotel at 134 Kapahulu Ave., fire officials said. It started at 4:05 a.m. and was extinguished soon after by hotel security. No one was injured and no damage estimates were available.
Driver falls asleep, hits two teen-agers in Ewa
Police traffic investigators said a driver fell asleep at the wheel yesterday, slamming into two teen-age boys crossing Fort Weaver Road.A 22-year-old Ewa man driving a 1999 Plymouth Neon was headed south on Fort Weaver Road when he fell asleep at 8:30 a.m., police said.
One boy is in critical condition at Queen's Hospital this morning with internal and leg injuries. The other boy was taken to St. Francis-West Hospital in guarded condition. Police said the driver didn't appear to be speeding or under the influence.
Car-theft suspect drives wrong way on Ala Moana
Police broke off a chase with an auto-theft suspect after the suspect began driving the wrong way on Ala Moana, endangering others.When police spotted the stolen car at Ala Moana Park about 8 a.m., the driver immediately sped off, cutting across a grass area. Police said the male suspect drove Ewa bound in the Diamond Head-bound lanes of Ala Moana boulevard for a short distance and then cut through the median to get into the Ewa-bound lanes.
