LOCK, STOCK AND BAILOUT
Myron R. Fuller, special agent in charge of the FBI's Honolulu Office, will retire today after 30 years of service to the federal agency. FBI's Honolulu chief
calling it a careerFuller will be succeeded by Daniel Dzwilewski, now special assistant to the deputy director at FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C., effective July 2.
Assistant Special Agent Frederick Wong will serve as acting special agent in charge until Dzwilewski's arrival.
Fuller was named special agent in charge of the FBI's Honolulu field office in August 1997. He was responsible for all FBI investigations in Hawaii, Guam and the Commonwealth of the Mariana Islands.
He also was responsible for investigations in Asia, Australia, New Zealand and other parts of the Pacific.
The FBI -- the Federal Bureau of Investigation -- said Fuller has been commended for his work against white-collar criminals and organized crime.
Fuller began his FBI career in 1971 in Chicago. He later served at the FBI headquarters in Washington and in the agency's New York, New Orleans, Dallas and Salt Lake City field offices.
He is a certified fraud examiner and a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police.
Fuller said he plans to remain in Honolulu.
Mufi Hannemann recuperates after bypass
Former City Councilman Mufi Hannemann is resting at Kuakini Hospital after undergoing heart bypass surgery yesterday.Hannemann, who turns 46 next month, was in excellent physical condition and underwent the surgery as a precautionary measure and not because of an emergency, said Trudi Saito, his longtime aide.
Saito said Hannemann is expected to spend five to seven days in the hospital recovering.
Hannemann has said he will run for Honolulu mayor next year when Jeremy Harris steps down to run for governor. He lost to Harris in the 2000 mayor's race.
Hannemann served on the City Council from 1994 to 2000, including one year as chairman.
Kauai Council moves to ban air horns at parks
LIHUE >> A bill banning air horns from all county parks was set for a public hearing yesterday by the Kauai County Council. It apparently is aimed at the parents of youngsters from Maui teams who competed in a recent baseball tournament on Kauai.The bill's sponsor was Council Chairman Ron Kouchi, who is active as a coach in several youth sports. Kouchi said some spectators at the tournament were blowing the horns, powered by compressed air, in an effort to distract Kauai pitchers and hitters, all 9 and 10 years old.
"They should not be able to interfere with the game," Kouchi said.
Assessment on sunken fishing vessel expected
Plans by the U.S. Navy to retrieve the sunken Japanese fishing vessel Ehime Maru could clear a final hurdle as early as today.Reuters quotes unnamed sources as saying that Adm. Thomas Fargo, commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, is expected to approve an environmental assessment by today.
The Ehime Maru sank after being struck by the nuclear submarine USS Greeneville off Diamond Head in February. Nine people, including four students, died. The Navy hopes to recover all nine bodies.
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Police, Fire, Courts
By Star-Bulletin staffHonolulu Police Department Crimestoppers
Police capture Hawaii State Hospital escapee
State Hospital escapee James Huffman was captured last night after an emergency room doctor at Kapiolani Medical Center at Pali Momi recognized him as a patient who was admitted early yesterday.He is under police guard at the hospital with a broken right wrist and broken right leg, police said.
Huffman, 38, arrived at Pali Momi by ambulance at 5:30 a.m. yesterday. Huffman told the doctor he jumped from an overpass on the H-3 Freeway. The doctor called police after seeing Huffman's picture on a 10 p.m. television news report.
Huffman escaped through a window at the Hawaii State Hospital in Kaneohe sometime after 8 p.m. Wednesday by breaking the window lock. He had previously escaped on April 5 and was recaptured the following day. Huffman was committed to the hospital Dec. 18 last year when a state judge determined that he was mentally unfit to stand trial for a January 2000 robbery.
Huffman has previous convictions on the mainland for violent offenses.
Safe-driving display on Kaukonahua torched
An arsonist torched a safe-driving display on Kaukonahua Road this morning, police said.A passing motorist called the Honolulu Fire Department about 2:30 a.m. to report that the display, consisting of a wrecked car on a U.S. Army trailer and a "Drive to Arrive Alive" banner, was on fire.
The Army estimates the fire caused $6,000 damage to its trailer.
Driver of blue Trans Am is suspect in kidnapping
Police are looking for the driver of a blue Pontiac Trans Am in connection with an attempted kidnapping of a 13-year-old girl in Kaimuki yesterday afternoon.Police said the girl suffered an abdominal injury when she was hit by the passenger door of the car and was admitted to a local hospital for observation.
She told police she was walking near Pizza Hut at 3113 Waialae Ave. at 4:30 p.m. yesterday when the suspect stopped his car in front of her in the restaurant's driveway. He opened the passenger door, which hit her in the stomach, and demanded that she get in. The girl fled. She said the suspect followed her as she ran home.
Family members called police and the suspect fled.
The girl was taken to an area hospital in guarded condition. The suspect is described as a white male in his 40s with black neck-length hair and pale complexion. He was wearing a blue baseball cap and white printed T-shirt.
Stealer of pricey handbags sought by cops since May
Honolulu police are looking for a man who was caught stealing Ferragamo-brand handbags from the Neiman Marcus Store at Ala Moana Center. The suspect was captured on the store's video surveillance camera while taking the bags on Monday, May 21, and on Friday, May 11.
In both instances, police said, the suspect was out of the store before security could catch him. The suspect is described as 5 feet 9 inches tall, with a medium build, dark eyes, dark hair and a dark complexion.
Anyone with information is asked to call CrimeStoppers.
Sunset Park fire appears to have been malicious
Police said a maliciously set fire at Sunset Memorial Park caused $7,000 in damage to a storage shed. Witnesses called the Honolulu Fire Department at 11:45 a.m. yesterday after seeing the storage shed door on fire.Police said when HFD arrived the shed was fully engulfed. Detectives said it appeared that an incendiary was used outside the shed door to start the fire. So far, police have no suspects in the case.
Abandoned house near Kahuku mill catches fire
An abandoned house located behind the Kahuku Sugar Mill went up in flames last night, according to fire officials. Firefighters from Kaneohe, Kahuku and Sunset Beach responded to the alarm at 7:55 p.m.Fire Capt. Richard Soo said that when fire crews got there, the fire was already "fully involved." Firefighters brought the blaze under control by 8:13 p.m.
The cause of the blaze is still under investigation.
