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Jurors in Arakawa Jurors in the Clyde Arakawa manslaughter trial took another field trip this morning -- this time to a warehouse where the two cars involved in the fatal collision are stored.
trial look at
wrecked cars
Peter Carlisle says seeing the
cars gives them perspectiveBy Debra Barayuga and Treena Shapiro
dbarayuga@starbulletin.com | tshapiro@starbulletin.comThe jurors spent less than five minutes viewing the wreckage of the blue Honda Civic and white Ford Thunderbird, which had been moved outside the warehouse near the Pearl Highlands Shopping Center. Both cars were parked on Pepei St. with their detached front bumpers lying in front of them.
Attorneys for the prosecution and defense were present. Arakawa's attorney Michael Ostendorp also brought a defense expert who is expected to testify later in the trial.
Arakawa, a former police officer, is accused of reckless manslaughter for driving while intoxicated, running a red light in his Thunderbird and crashing into the car of 19-year-old Dana Ambrose on Oct. 7, 2000, killing her.
The jurors spent most of the time looking at the wreckage of Ambrose's Civic. The driver's-side doors of the car were pushed so far into the cab that the driver's seat rested on the passenger's seat.
The jurors arrived at about 10 a.m. in three state vans and were escorted by officers of the court.
"It's sort of like visiting the crime scene. It gives them actual perspective and it gives them a better understanding of what actually happened that night," said city prosecutor Peter Carlisle.
On Tuesday night, the jurors visited the scene of the crash at the intersection of School St. and Pali Hwy.
The trial was to resume in the courtroom at 11 a.m. with more prosecution witnesses.
Yesterday, a waitress and bartender at two drinking establishments say they served then-police officer Arakawa alcohol on the night of the crash, but did not notice anything unusual about his demeanor when he left.
Arakawa admits he drank alcohol that night but said he was not intoxicated, was not speeding and had the green light when he entered the intersection and collided with Ambrose's Honda Civic.
City Prosecutor Peter Carlisle contends that over a seven-hour period, Arakawa had at least 10 beers, a shot of liquor and was "severely impaired" when he got behind the wheel of his white Ford Thunderbird that night.
During questioning by Ostendorp, Tatem Tanaka, a bartender at Side Street Inn who served Arakawa three beers, said Arakawa was not belligerent and his eyes appeared OK when he paid his tab.
Another bartender at Side Street had served Arakawa an additional three beers. Considering he had at least six beers, Arakawa "seemed fine," Tanaka said.
Tanaka did not remember Arakawa being at Side Street that night until he saw a video taken from Side Street Inn's cameras showing the police officer present at the bar. While viewing the video with prosecutors, Tanaka counted six times where Arakawa was served beer and saw one instance where Arakawa was drinking liquor from a shot glass. Tanaka said he was not the one who served Arakawa the shot of liquor that night.
Arakawa and an acquaintance, Hilario Martin, went to Side Street that evening to play darts after drinking at Tropic's Diner.
After leaving Side Street, Arakawa and Martin returned to Tropic's Diner where they each had one more beer before going home.
Stacie Ann Ishii, a waitress and shift manager at Tropic's, testified she served Arakawa four or five beers the first time he and Martin arrived that afternoon about 4:30 p.m.
Another waitress waited on the two when they returned the second time that night at about 10:30.
Ishii described Arakawa as "quiet" and said he and Martin "looked normal."