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House hopeful
arrested in theft
of newspapers

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By Treena Shapiro
Star-Bulletin

A candidate running for the state House was arrested early yesterday morning for allegedly stealing copies of the Honolulu Advertiser from a newspaper rack on Piikoi Street.

Ken Akamine, seeking to represent House District 27 (Alewa, Kapalama, Liliha, Nuuanu), said he took 19 newspapers from the machine to deliver to friends who wanted extra copies of the paper to play "Pigskin Picks."

The Hawaii Newspaper Agency, which handles circulation for the Advertiser, had been tracking Akamine's activities and had warned him before not to take any more newspapers, a representative said. Early yesterday morning, HNA employees recorded his activities on videotape and reported him to police.

Akamine was released on $50 bail. He said he intended to plead no contest at his arraignment, set for Nov. 17.

Akamine said he has been delivering newspapers to about 20 friends since his sons' routes were discontinued several years ago. "They took over all my blind sons' routes, in spite of the fact that the customers still wanted my sons to deliver," he said.

He said he continued to deliver the newspaper independently of the HNA, charging $7.50 a month.

As for stealing the newspapers, Akamine said, "I want to make it crystal clear that's the first time I ever did that."

After being released, he went out and purchased newspapers from a newsboy for his friends. "I did pay for the newspapers," he said. "I didn't break into the box."