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Trial in beating
of prisoner puts
cops in hot seat

George DeRamos, Jesse
Nozawa and Brian Punzal
are charged in the incident

---

By Debra Barayuga
Star-Bulletin

Three of five Honolulu police officers indicted for beating prisoner Richard Doolin at the main station in 1995 and covering it up will go on trial this week.

Jury selection begins tomorrow in the courtroom of U.S. District Judge Alan C. Kay. The trial is expected to last two to four weeks.

The beating is one of two in the past decade where Honolulu police officers have been prosecuted for violating prisoners' civil rights.

Officers George DeRamos, Jesse Nozawa and Brian Punzal have been free on $10,000 bond while awaiting trial.

The two other officers, David Chun and A.C. Brown, have already pleaded guilty.

A superceding indictment in February charged DeRamos, Nozawa and Punzal with conspiring to violate Doolin's civil rights and conspiring to obstruct justice. Nozawa also is charged with violating Doolin's civil rights and DeRamos with obstructing justice through intimidation and threats.

Order: 'Take care' of arrestee

Gerard Hogan, a U.S. Department of Justice attorney, gave this version of the events of Aug. 5, 1995, in a brief filed this month:

Pearl City officers had arrested Doolin, a Halawa prison guard, for allegedly violating a temporary restraining order, and words were exchanged. A supervisor at Pearl City notified the central receiving desk at the main station that Doolin was being transported.

DeRamos, the acting lieutenant, told fellow officers, including Brown, that an uncooperative arrestee would be arriving and gave orders to the effect "to take care" of Doolin. More than a half-dozen officers, including Brown, Chun and Duarte, were waiting when Doolin arrived.

A handcuffed and shackled Doolin was yanked out of the transport car. He fell to the ground. Although he protested, he did not strike out.

The officers carried Doolin to the cellblock, followed by several other officers, including Nozawa.

Nozawa was solely assigned to man the security console and was not to abandon it to make contact with arrestees because he recently had injured his hand.

'Axe-kick' ends beating

Prosecutors allege that Brown, Chun, Duarte and others laid Doolin on a concrete bench in the cell. Brown, Chun and later Duarte "set upon" the defenseless Doolin, striking him many times in the legs, chest, sides and shoulders.

Nozawa, allegedly skilled in the martial arts, then joined in the beating by raising his foot over his head and kicking down into Doolin's midsection. Witnesses noted this "axe-kick" produced the sound of wind rushing from Doolin's body.

The beating stopped shortly after this kick.

Broken ribs, collapsed lung

It was not until early Aug. 6 that DeRamos decided Doolin needed medical treatment.

DeRamos ordered an officer who witnessed the beating to take Doolin to the hospital and tell hospital staff that Doolin fell on a berm in the parking lot. DeRamos also warned Doolin not to tell hospital staff how he received his injuries.

Doolin suffered broken ribs and a collapsed lung. He later received a $317,000 settlement from the city for his claims against the officers. He is expected to testify.

Three guilty pleas so far

Chun, who pleaded guilty to assaulting Doolin, was committed to federal prison in Sandstone, Minn., in January to begin serving a 51-month sentence.

Brown, who resigned from the force in July, pleaded guilty last month and faces a maximum 10 years' imprisonment when sentenced Nov. 27.

Duarte, who was not named in the June 1999 indictment, has denied participating in the beating. Duarte's attorney, William Harrison, said Friday that he "vigorously disputes" the government's claims that his client participated in the beating.

Duarte pleaded guilty only to misdemeanor civil rights violations, including failing to prevent Doolin from being beaten and taking part in the subsequent cover-up. He has yet to begin serving a one-year sentence. Under a plea agreement, government prosecutors may call him to testify.

Punzal's attorney, Howard Luke, said he could not talk about the trial.

Attorneys for Nozawa and DeRamos did not return calls for comment.