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Retired wildlife
official accused
of illegal fishing

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By Gary Kubota
Maui correspondent

WAILUKU -- A retired state wildlife manager is expected to present his defense Monday in a jury trial accusing him of landing a helicopter in a state forest reserve on Molokai without a permit and using an illegal electrical device to catch stream life.

The trial of Wesley Wong resumes at 9 a.m. before Circuit Judge Shackley Raffetto.

Defense attorney Philip Lowenthal said Wong was not using an electrical device to gather wild life such as hihiwai from the Wailau Stream and was merely a passenger on the helicopter on May 7, 1999.

"He wasn't the driver of the helicopter," Lowenthal said.

Lowenthal said there's also a question of whether the landing site was part of the forest reserve.

Both charges are misdemeanors.

Upon conviction, an illegal helicopter landing charge carries a maximum penalty of $1,000 in fines and up to a year in prison and the illegal use of an electrical device, a $500 fine and 30 days in jail.

Wong, 61, retired as the Maui District manager for the state Forestry and Wildlife Division in December 1999.

State Deputy Attorney General Dwight Nadamoto rested his case Wednesday against Wesley Wong.

Wong's son, Matthew, pleaded guilty to the illegal helicopter landing, in return for the prosecution dismissing the charge of using an illegal fishing device, Lowenthal said.

Lowenthal said Judge Raffetto has agreed to issue a deferred acceptance of guilty plea to Matthew Wong, which allows him an opportunity to have no conviction reflected on his record if he follows certain court conditions.

Matthew Wong's sentencing before Judge Raffetto is scheduled for April 19.