Newswatch
Police, Fire, Courts

By Star-Bulletin Staff

Sunday, June 3, 2001

[Taking Notice]

>> Carolyn Taniguchi was named winner of the 2001 Support Staff Distinguished Service Award by the Council for Advancement and Support and Education. Taniguchi, an administrative assistant at La Pietra for over 31 years, was presented the award during the annual CASE/Independent Schools Conference held in New York City, N.Y.

>> Matt Mowen has been selected by Duke's Kauai as its Educator of the Quarter for the third quarter. Mowen, a special education teacher at Kauai High School, was selected for his efforts to make a difference at his school and in the community. He was presented with a plaque, gift certificate and T-shirt from the restaurant.

>> The Saint Francis Schools have been awarded a $5,845 grant from the Frear Eleemosynary Trust and a $5,000 grant from the George and Ida Tenney Castle Trust. The awards will be used for computer training at St. Francis' Manoa and Kauai campuses.

>> The East-West Center named the following people honorees at a recent mahalo reception held at the EWC John Burns Hall Exhibition Gallery: Yoshihisa Amae, Research Program; Aigoul Nagimidinovna Abdoubaetova, Education Program; Yasmin Khudari, Beryl Lin and Jennie Miyasaki, Associates/Alumni Office; Joe Overton, Arts Program; Sadako Miyamoto and Hiroe Suenaga, President's Office; Albert Chang, Lillie Ching, Miyo Ichijo, Irene Cornell, Arien Grabbe, Kathy Jay, Jane Krisberg, Bernice Loui, Alfrieda Nagata, Gene Sawyer, Jennifer Miele, Fei Fei Zhao, Amanda Kautz and Sarah Vann, Friends of the East-West Center; and Roy Uyemura, Publications/Foundation/Associates.

>> Vahid Ajimine was presented with an award by the Sons and Daughters of the 100th Infantry Battalion. Ajimine is a student at Maui High School.

[WINNERS & LOSERS]

[WINNERS]

Hot seat: Former American Savings Bank CEO Wayne Minami was named chairman of the 2001 state Reapportionment Commission, a panel of four Republicans and four Democrats in charge of drawing the lines of Hawaii's political districts based on 2000 U.S. Census figures.

College bound: Farrington High School graduate Janet Mock won a four-year, $4,000 scholarship to the University of Hawaii as this year's Farrington Scholar, awarded by the Honolulu Star-Bulletin and the Farrington family.

Tough teens: Oahu teen-agers Emalia Pietsch and Ricky Mead will represent Hawaii in the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International Children's Congress later this month in Washington.

[LOSERS]

Car thieves: A 30 percent increase in Oahu auto thefts last year led police to form a task force in January. So far, the effort has led to 69 arrests.

Bad for business: Darryl "Buck" Wheat, who last year failed in his bid to be Green Party candidate for Big Isle mayor, was ordered to stop selling firearms from his business after pleading no contest to selling fireworks without a permit.

Convicted MP: Former military policeman William Hayes was sentenced to seven years in federal prison for sexually assaulting two girls.

Corrections and clarifications The Honolulu Star-Bulletin strives to make its news report fair and accurate. If you have a question or comment about news coverage, call Publisher and Editor in Chief John Flanagan at 529-4748 or email him at jflanagan@starbulletin.com.

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Police, Fire, Courts



By Star-Bulletin staff

Honolulu Police Department Crimestoppers

Kalihi man arrested in scooter collision

Police arrested a 46-year-old Kalihi man for driving under the influence and negligent injury after he allegedly broadsided a motor scooter in the Sand Island area Friday night, critically injuring a 19-year-old Kaneohe man.

The driver of the pickup truck was on Auiki Street, and attempted to turn left on Mokauea Street in front of the scooter, police said.

The victim was taken to Queen's Medical Center in critical condition. The scooter did not have headlights. The truck driver was arrested at 10:50 p.m. Friday, but was released pending further investigation.

Man critically injured after rolling his SUV

A 20-year-old Waianae man is in critical condition after he lost control of his sport-utility vehicle while overtaking another vehicle on Farrington Highway Friday night.

After the driver lost control of his four-door Dodge Durango, it rolled over, police said. He was thrown from the vehicle and hit a medial barrier and the roadway.

The accident occurred at 10:35 p.m. Friday near Aliinui Drive, the entrance to Ko Olina Resort. Police believe speed and alcohol were factors.

2 pedestrians robbed in separate incidents

Police are investigating two robberies of pedestrians in Kalihi this morning.

Police say a 61-year-old man was walking along North School Street at about 1 a.m. when a young man asked him for a dollar. The suspect then punched the victim in the face and knocked him down as he was getting his wallet out.

Three other suspects also kicked him in the chest, stole his wallet and fled, police said.

The second robbery occurred at 2:45 a.m. at Io Lane and Palama Street when two men in their 20s riding bikes approached a man, police said.

One pretended to fall down; the other asked for money so they could go to the hospital, the victim reported to police.

The man told police he continued walking and the two attacked him and stole his wallet. The victim suffered a swollen eye, bloody nose and lips and abrasions.

Boy, parents track down suspected robber

After a 15-year-old boy was hijacked at Aliamanu District Park, he and his parents tracked down a 14-year-old suspect and had him arrested, police said.

The victim was at the park basketball court at 9:45 p.m. when three boys approached him. When one of them demanded money, the boy said he didn't have any. The suspect allegedly grabbed him by the throat and took $4.

The victim called his parents, who called police. The parents and the boy found the suspect on the corner of Haloa Drive and Bougainville Street. The suspect was arrested for second-degree robbery.

Maui police arrest pair of car-jacking suspects

Maui police officers and their dogs tracked and arrested a couple Friday afternoon who are suspected in a car-jacking from a Kmart parking lot.

The 35-year-old Haiku man and 27-year-old woman were found in a cane field off Hana Highway about 1:45 p.m., said police Lt. Glenn Cuomo.

The couple drove off in a van parked in the Kahului Kmart parking lot with a woman inside at about 12:30 p.m. Friday, police said. The couple allowed the woman to drive away in her van, while they fled into a cane field.

The couple were in police custody yesterday on unrelated warrants, but had not yet been charged in the car-jacking.

Man accused of trying to pass stolen checks

Police arrested a man yesterday morning after he allegedly tried to pass stolen traveler's checks at two ABC stores in Waikiki.

He was successful at one store, but fled when asked for identification at the second store, police said.

Police apprehended the man in a stolen car. A search of the car turned up drug paraphernalia and residue, and the other occupant of the car was arrested, according to a police report.