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Injunction sought in hiring of Big Isle police chief
KAILUA-KONA -- Procedures to select a new Hawaii County police chief would be halted under a court order being sought by a frequent critic of the Hawaii County Police Commission.Kona resident Jack Brunton alleges that a committee of the commission, which is the agency that hires and fires the chief, held a secret meeting Oct. 17 to establish criteria for the new chief.
Police Chief Wayne Carvalho retired Oct. 17.
Judge Ronald Ibarra has set a hearing for today on Brunton's request for a temporary restraining order and an injunction barring the commission from taking action on the committee's report. That report is scheduled to be given at a commission meeting in Hilo.
Brunton also seeks to forbid future secret meetings.
Commission attorney Ted Hong denied that the Oct. 17 meeting was secret, although he also said he was unsure whether the committee gave adequate public notice of its meeting, as required by law.
"It's a massive overreaction by an individual who sees conspiracies behind every corner," he said.
Evans is new deputy comptroller at DAGS
Gov. Ben Cayetano has appointed Mary Alice Evans deputy comptroller in the Department of Accounting and General Services.Evans, assistant to the governor's special adviser on technology development and formerly with the Office of State Planning, will take the position vacated by Mary Pat Waterhouse, effective Monday.
Waterhouse left the job to become vice president/chief financial and administrative officer of the Hawaii Community Foundation.
Hearing today for Maui robbery suspect
WAILUKU -- A 20-year-old Lahaina man suspected of two armed robberies in west Maui was scheduled to face criminal charges at a preliminary hearing at 1:30 p.m today in Wailuku District Court.Phillip Rosenthal, also known as Phillip Braun, has been charged by the county prosecutor with three counts of second-degree robbery, two counts of kidnapping and one count each of unauthorized entry into a motor vehicle and first-degree burglary.
Rosenthal, arrested Thursday, was being held on $300,000 bail.
Two visitors from San Jose, Calif., said a man wielding a handgun demanded money as they got out of their rental car at the Kaanapali Shores parking lot at about 10:40 p.m. on Oct. 21.
The gunman became angry when he found the male visitor had only $20 in his wallet. He forced the two to take him to an automated teller machine in Kahana.
The man forced the male visitor to use his bank card to withdraw $200.
A couple said they were relaxing on their lanai when they found a gunman in their Napili Point Resort unit at 4:55 p.m. on Oct. 22.
The couple said the gunman demanded $200 but fled after the couple said they didn't have the cash and the woman ran screaming for help.
Banquet for Japanese consul general
A dinner reception will be held Nov. 15 to welcome the new Japanese consul general and his wife, Mr. and Mrs. Minoru Shibuya.Reservations for the 6 p.m. banquet at Hilton Hawaiian Village Tapa Ballroom may be made by calling the Japan-America Society of Hawaii at 524-4450. The cost is $40 per person. The event is being sponsored by the Consular Corps of Hawaii, the East-West Center, the Pacific and Asian Affairs Council and several cultural and business organizations.
Tomorrow
Some events of interest
8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Hilo Hawaiian Hotel, Moku Ola Room: Restorative Justice Community Partnership Conference, sponsored by the Hawaii State Judiciary, the Hawaii County Prosecutor's Office and the Casey Family Program. Registration fee: $5.
Clarification
Randy Rego, one of five candidates for the Kauai seat on the Office of Hawaiian Affairs Board of Trustees, asked that remarks he made in a story Tuesday "be placed in context." Rego was quoted, correctly, as favoring restoration of the Hawaiian nation rather than being granted the "nation within a nation status" that Native American tribes have been accorded by the federal government.
His remarks were part of a discussion of the Akaka bill, and his position on that issue was not included in the story. Rego said he originally opposed the Akaka bill but now supports it as an interim measure. "Without it, we would have nothing to protect our entitlements," he said. Ultimately, however, Rego said he does not believe Hawaiians should be considered "indigenous Americans."
Correction
In stories yesterday on the Xerox tragedy, Randall Shin's name was misspelled in one reference. Also, one story included an incorrect telephone number for more information about the Pacific Basin/United States Crime Prevention Conference. The correct number is 586-1444, extension 03.
Police, Fire, Courts
By Star-Bulletin staffHonolulu Police Department Crimestoppers
Mililani man arrested in Haleiwa carjacking
A 20-year-old Mililani man was arrested yesterday in connection with a Saturday carjacking.The man was arrested at his Waimakua Drive home for first-degree robbery and three counts of kidnapping, police said.
He is accused of entering a rented convertible with three women inside at a stoplight near Haleiwa on Saturday.
During the robbery, he allegedly shocked two of the women with a stun gun while stealing their rental car, police said.
The women -- who had their money, cameras and personal items stolen -- suffered injuries from the stun gun, police said.
Bank of Hawaii branch on Kapahulu robbed
The Kapahulu Avenue branch of Bank of Hawaii was robbed shortly after 9 a.m. today.A male suspect passed the teller a note demanding money and fled on foot, police said.
No weapon was reported used in the holdup.
It's the second bank robbery in the last three days.
A man suspected in four other bank robberies held up the Waipahu branch of American Savings Bank on Tuesday afternoon.
The robber entered the bank at 94-060 Farrington Highway about 1:37 p.m. and presented a demand note, police said. No weapon was seen, but the robber indicated he had a weapon. He left with an undisclosed amount of money.
Today's robbery was the state's 28th bank robbery this year. Anyone with information on any of the bank robberies is asked to call the FBI at 566-4300 or Crimestoppers at 955-8300.
Man nabbed near zoo in fight, flare-gun firing
Police arrested a man for allegedly firing a flare gun during a brawl in Waikiki.The officer saw a large group of people fighting in the grassy area outside the Honolulu Zoo at 1:25 a.m. yesterday. When the officer approached, one man fired a flare gun and ran off, police said.
The suspect, who was wearing brass knuckles, was apprehended by the zoo entrance, police said.
He was arrested for reckless endangerment, a firearms violation and possession of a deadly weapon.
Sex offender charged in failure to report address
HILO -- Police have charged convicted sex offender Michael Anthony Smith, also known as Michael Cruz Calderon, with failure to register a change of address, the prosecutor's office said.In 1986, Smith was convicted of attempted sex abuse for trying to force an underage girl into an act of oral sex.
In 1996, he registered as a sex offender but later failed to update the registry when he changed addresses, the prosecutor's office said.
The law requires sex offenders to notify the Attorney General within three days of moving.
