Advertisement - Click to support our sponsors.
State certifies 87 driving teachers
The state has certified 10 private driving instructors and 77 Department of Education driving instructors, said Marilyn Kali, state Transportation Department spokeswoman.The state "is moving ahead" to increase the number of certified driving instructors in anticipation of demands from teen-agers needing driving lessons, Kali said.
The state anticipates as many as 1,500 teen-agers will enroll in mandatory driver's education this year and hopes to certify 120 private instructors to meet the demand. A new law requires underage drivers to receive instructions only from certified instructors, and to complete 30 hours of classroom instruction and six hours of behind-the-wheel lessons.
About a week after the law went into effect, the state was able to certify only one private instructor. Kali said then that incomplete applications were holding up the certifications.
The state expects to approve 34 more instructors once their background checks return from the FBI. Another 34 instructors have applied and still need to complete their paperwork.
The state also will continue to offer training classes for instructors every two months, Kali said. The classes are required for certification.
James Correa sworn in as Big Isle police chief
HILO -- Hawaii County's new police chief, James Correa, was quietly sworn in by Mayor Harry Kim during an informal meeting in the mayor's office yesterday, the department announced.A public swearing-in ceremony will be held at 11 a.m. Feb. 1 on the lanai of police headquarters.
Correa, 47, was selected by the county Police Commission last week to fill the vacancy created by the October retirement of former Chief Wayne Carvalho.
Correa has been acting chief since Carvalho stepped down.
Bus drives off road in Waipio
Police ID man swept to sea while picking opihi
HILO -- Police have identified a man who died when swept into the ocean Saturday while picking opihi near South Point as Jerry Toshio Nakaya, 49, of Honolulu.Nakaya was picking the shellfish near remote Waiahukini Beach when he was swept to sea by a large wave, police said.
Friends tried to throw flotation devices to him but couldn't reach him, said the Fire Department, which sent a helicopter to recover his body.
Ex-lawyer pleads guilty to taking clients' funds
A former attorney has pleaded guilty to stealing about $160,000 from 15 former clients -- on occasion settling their civil suits without their knowledge and taking their settlement money.Mark Cusmano, 38, appeared before Circuit Judge Richard Perkins today and plead guilty to three counts of first-degree theft, six counts of second-degree theft, 11 counts of forgery, unlawful ownership of a business and money laundering.
Under a plea agreement, the state will ask that Cusmano serve at least 10 years in prison, the maximum possible penalty for each of the first-degree theft charges.
Cusmano's attorney, Howard Luke, said he will ask for probation.
A licensed attorney since 1993, Cusmano served his clients well until late 1998 when he began experiencing many personal problems, Luke said.
Cusmano has expressed "a great deal of remorse" for his conduct, he said.
Cusmano has since been disbarred. He will be sentenced March 30.
The Courts
Appeals court sides with family in hospital suit
A federal appeals court panel ruled Monday that a law barring hospitals from turning away emergency-room patients also prevents them from directing ambulances to take patients somewhere else for treatment.The case involves a Hawaii man whose ambulance was diverted to Tripler Army Medical Center at the suggestion of a doctor at the Queen's Medical Center.
Harold Arrington had suffered a heart attack on his way to his security guard job late at night on May 5, 1996. Queen's was the closest hospital to his workplace, but when ambulance personnel radioed ahead to advise the Queen's emergency room of their imminent arrival, a doctor redirected them to Tripler, five miles away.
Queen's emergency room Dr. Norbert Wong had asked paramedics who Arrington's regular doctor was and was told Arrington normally went to Tripler.
Arrington's condition worsened and he died about 40 minutes after arriving at Tripler.
Arrington's family sued Wong, Queen's, the Emergency Group Inc. and the city of Honolulu, claiming the ambulance shouldn't have been diverted under the federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act.
U.S. District Judge David Ezra originally dismissed the Arrington family's lawsuit in 1998, saying the law only applies to patients who have physically arrived at a hospital emergency room.
Youth accused in crime spree to be tried as adult
Family Court has waived jurisdiction over a 17-year-old boy, allowing him to be tried as an adult in connection with a crime spree.Dustie Liupaono and three others are accused of attacking people, smashing car windows and brandishing weapons at a Kalihi Jack In The Box restaurant, a Chevron station in Pearl City and a 7-Eleven store in Kailua on Nov. 19.
Liupaono is charged with two counts of first-degree robbery.
Jason Deere, 20, and Lelauti Sakaria, 19, were each indicted in November on three counts of first-degree robbery. Sakaria also was charged with kidnapping. The three are expected to go to trial April 16.
Appeals court sides with family in hospital suit
A federal appeals court panel ruled Monday that a law barring hospitals from turning away emergency-room patients also prevents them from directing ambulances to take patients somewhere else for treatment.The case involves a Hawaii man whose ambulance was diverted to Tripler Army Medical Center at the suggestion of a doctor at the Queen's Medical Center.
Harold Arrington had suffered a heart attack on his way to his security guard job late at night on May 5, 1996. Queen's was the closest hospital to his workplace, but when ambulance personnel radioed ahead to advise the Queen's emergency room of their imminent arrival, a doctor redirected them to Tripler, five miles away.
Queen's emergency room Dr. Norbert Wong had asked paramedics who Arrington's regular doctor was and was told Arrington normally went to Tripler.
Arrington's condition worsened and he died about 40 minutes after arriving at Tripler.
Arrington's family sued Wong, Queen's, the Emergency Group Inc. and the city of Honolulu, claiming the ambulance shouldn't have been diverted under the federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act.
U.S. District Judge David Ezra originally dismissed the Arrington family's lawsuit in 1998, saying the law only applies to patients who have physically arrived at a hospital emergency room.
Youth accused in crime spree to be tried as adult
Family Court has waived jurisdiction over a 17-year-old boy, allowing him to be tried as an adult in connection with a crime spree.Dustie Liupaono and three others are accused of attacking people, smashing car windows and brandishing weapons at a Kalihi Jack In The Box restaurant, a Chevron station in Pearl City and a 7-Eleven store in Kailua on Nov. 19.
Liupaono is charged with two counts of first-degree robbery.
Jason Deere, 20, and Lelauti Sakaria, 19, were each indicted in November on three counts of first-degree robbery. Sakaria also was charged with kidnapping. The three are expected to go to trial April 16.
Tomorrow
Some events of interest
Noon, Halekulani Hotel, Hau Terrace: The East-West Center sponsors "Mission Hawaii: Challenges and Opportunities." Featured speakers: consuls general of the Philippines, South Korea, Japan and Australia. Cost: $27. Info: 944-7691.
Clarification
Information on allegations made against attorney George Noguchi was not made public because he resigned from the practice of law. In other cases, the information is made public. A story Friday said the court does not release information in disciplinary matters.
Police, Fire, Courts
By Star-Bulletin staffHonolulu Police Department Crimestoppers
Suspect caught in Waikiki assault, robbery of visitor
Police arrested a 43-year-old man this morning in connection with a robbery that left an 81-year-old Canadian man with serious head injuries.Acting on information from a witness and tips from CrimeStoppers, police were able to get a possible name for the suspect. Officers from the Waikiki Crime Reduction Unit located the suspect and arrested him at 12:45 a.m. about a block from the hotel where the robbery occurred.
The suspect was initially arrested for littering when he dumped peanut shells on the sidewalk, and was later identified by the witness, police said.
The robbery occurred at the Outrigger Waikiki West Hotel at 2330 Kuhio Ave. shortly after 1 a.m. yesterday as the victim was checking into the hotel with a group of tourists.
The elderly man had gone to the restroom when he was hit in the head and his wallet was stolen, police said. He remains at the Queen's Medical Center in critical condition.
Cops combing Waianae for male prison escapee
Police searched the Waianae area again last night for prison escapee Kerbert Silva, who may have been involved in a car crash near the Kahe power plant yesterday evening.A 42-year-old man who is suspected of harboring Silva was arrested at 6:22 p.m. after he fled the crash scene. It is believed he was the driver of the car that crashed. Silva apparently eluded police.
Silva escaped from the Oahu Community Correctional Center last Wednesday, his 37th birthday, by climbing a 16-foot-high fence topped with razor wire. He was spotted Saturday in Nanakuli, but got away before police could arrest him.
Nanakuli blaze leaves family without home
A child playing with a lighter is blamed for a fire in Nanakuli that caused an estimated $40,000 in damage and left a family of six without a place to sleep last night.The fire at 89-1020 Nanakuli Ave. was reported at 6:22 p.m. and was under control a few minutes after firefighters arrived.
Two children were home at the time of the fire but escaped without injuries. The Red Cross helped the family with four children find temporary shelter, food and clothing.
Fire forces evacuation of three hotel floors
A fire at the Ala Moana Hotel forced the evacuation of two floors and Aaron's Restaurant at the top of the hotel last night.The fire was reported at 8:43 p.m. in a mechanical room on the 37th floor. Guests were allowed to return to their rooms at about 10 p.m.
Damage estimates were not immediately available this morning.
The fire department says an elderly woman tourist suffered heart palpitations and shortness of breath during the evacuation and was taken to Straub Medical Center. The cause of the fire was not determined as of this morning.
