New Mexico tourist gets dengue fever on Maui
A resident of New Mexico who visited the Hana area of Maui in December has been confirmed to have contracted dengue fever, state health officials said.The tourist becomes the 118th case of dengue confirmed by the state.
The latest figures from the state Department of Health show 89 confirmed cases from Maui, with 77 of those in the Hana area. Also, 25 cases of the mosquito-borne virus have been confirmed on Oahu and four cases have been documented on Kauai.
The dengue virus causes fever, headache and rashes on the palms and feet. It is believed to have been imported to Hawaii by people traveling from Tahiti or American Samoa, where the disease is epidemic.
Mosquito education and eradication efforts continue.
Last month, the Health Department resumed airing public service announcements urging residents to eliminate standing water around their homes that could serve as mosquito breeding grounds.
Man indicted for alleged threat to Big Isle mayor
HILO >> A Big Island man who allegedly threatened to chop off Mayor Harry Kim's head has been indicted for first-degree terroristic threatening.
The suspect, Roy Shigeo Oshita, was indicted last week. Police had not yet located him yesterday.
The offense took place Jan. 9, 2001, soon after Kim took office. Kim's receptionist, Virginia Tolentino, said Oshita called the mayor's office, gave his name and made a statement about chopping off Kim's head.
Kim told the Star-Bulletin he received other threats during his 24 years as Hawaii County Civil Defense director. He told Tolentino to call police because he was concerned about her safety and the safety of others in his office.
They heard nothing after that until last week's indictment. Deputy Prosecutor Tharington Trusdell said he was recently assigned the case and did not know the reason for the delay.
The charge is a felony punishable by up to five years in prison because the threat was against a public official, Trusdell said.
Oshita faces bail of $50,000 when arrested.
Tenant association officer is guilty of embezzlement
A federal jury has found an officer of a Waimanalo tenant association guilty of embezzling about $50,000 in grant money issued by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.Sandra Clarke, a former vice president and later a community representative of the Waimanalo Resident Housing Association, was found guilty Friday of conspiracy and two counts of embezzlement after a three-day trial.
The association got a grant from HUD to teach residents skills to manage their own project and purchase homes from the Hawaii Housing Authority. The grant money was held in a checking account controlled by Clarke and Faith Tanner, the association president.
Tanner and Clarke diverted more than $50,000 of the funds for their own use, U.S. attorney Edward Kubo Jr. said.
Clarke had obtained $25,000 of the grant money, saying it constituted wages for work she did for the association.
Tanner, who previously pleaded guilty to embezzling money from the HUD grant and testified at Clarke's trial, used $24,000 to pay for personal expenses, including making rent and car payments and paying for her brother's burial expenses.
Clarke faces a maximum penalty of five years for conspiracy and 10 years' imprisonment for each of the embezzlement charges when she is sentenced Aug. 19.
Dead veiled chameleon called new alien species
KAANAPALI, Hawaii >> A veiled chameleon found dead in a remote area of west Maui is a new alien species to Hawaii, the Maui Invasive Species Committee said yesterday.The 16 1/2-inch lizard had been dead for about a week when it was found recently above Kaanapali and turned over to the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, the committee said.
"This is the first time a veiled chameleon has been found and reported in the state," said Fern Duvall, a state wildlife biologist.
Veiled chameleons are native to Yemen and Saudi Arabia and can grow up to 2 feet long. The lizard's colors are variable but it has distinctive stripes and a bony, shark fin-like shield on its head.
Duvall said the chameleon was found in a remote area away from residences, indicating that it may have been intentionally released or is part of an unknown population that was illegally introduced to the area.
"People should be aware that this activity is against the law, and that it is illegal to import, have or sell veiled chameleons in Hawaii," Duvall said.
Possession of illegal animals in Hawaii is punishable by up to $200,000 in fines and three years in jail.
Waipahu and Ewa Beach libraries hold book sales
Book sales will be held at two public libraries this weekend.The Friends of Waipahu Public Library will hold its book sale March 23 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the library located at 94-275 Mokuola St. next to the Waipahu Civic Center.
Waipahu Public Library is asking that donations of books, cassette tapes, CDs and videos for the sale be dropped off at the library during operating hours.
For more information, call the library at 675-0358.
Also that weekend, the Friends of Ewa Beach Public & School Library will hold its annual book sale at the library March 23 and 25.
It runs from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. March 23, with a 9 a.m. opening for Friends members. Hours for March 25 are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The library is located at 91-950 North Road.
Volunteers are needed and are asked to call Ewa's branch manager Caroline Coleman at 689-1204. Proceeds benefit the individual libraries.
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The Honolulu Star-Bulletin strives to make its news report fair and accurate. If you have a question or comment about news coverage, call Managing Editor Frank Bridgewater at 529-4791 or email him at fbridgewater@starbulletin.com. Corrections and clarifications
Police, Fire, Courts
By Star-Bulletin staffCENTRAL OAHU Honolulu Police Department Crimestoppers
Missing man's body found in Kipapa Gulch
Family members of a 60-year-old Kipapa Gulch farmer identified his body after search crews found it yesterday in a stream in Kipapa Gulch. Fire officials said it appears Victor Shiroma was swept away by fast-rising stream water during a flash-flood watch Saturday.Family members said they last saw Shiroma Saturday evening. On Sunday they found garden vegetables that Shiroma had apparently been washing at a stream near the family farm.
Family members searched for Shiroma on their own on Sunday, then called the Fire Department yesterday at 7:55 a.m. Firefighters recovered the all-terrain vehicle Shiroma had been riding and later found Shiroma's body. Honolulu police have classified the case as an unattended death.
Armed man taken in for psychiatric help
A 43-year-old man was taken into custody yesterday for psychological evaluation after police recovered a shotgun and other weapons from him in a Waipio townhouse.Police said they received an anonymous report that a man was seen walking into the townhouse complex with a shotgun about 4 p.m. Officers located the man and determined that he had been in the common area of the complex with a shotgun and arrested him.
Police said they later turned the man over for psychological evaluation after he exhibited suspicious behavior.
EAST OAHU
Man burgles home twice while victim is in hospital
Police are asking the public's help in identifying a suspect who burglarized an 80-year-old man's home twice while the victim was in the hospital. Police believe a bank surveillance camera recorded the suspect as he attempted the use the victim's automated teller machine card.
CRIMESTOPPERS PHOTO
Police are seeking the public's help in identifying a suspect who burglarized a Waialae Iki Ridge home twice. Police believe the suspect was recorded on this bank surveillance camera while attempting to use the victim's bank card.
Police said the victim's home, on Kumakani Loop at Waialae Iki Ridge, was burglarized twice between March 7 and March 9. In the first burglary, police said, the suspect entered the house, took car keys and left with the victim's new silver Acura TL four-door sedan.
Police said the second burglary occurred March 9 and that the suspect, while operating the stolen vehicle, used the electronic door opener and entered the home through the kitchen door. Police said the suspect searched the house, stole a collection of silver dollar coins, a 20-inch television set and the victim's wallet, containing identification and bank cards.
At 9:21 p.m. that day, police said, the suspect, while in the stolen Acura, attempted to use the victim's bank card at the drive-through ATM of the Pearlridge branch of American Savings Bank at 98-200 Kamehameha Hwy.
The suspect is described as in his mid-20s, with dark short hair, a mustache and a medium build. The stolen vehicle is described as a silver 3.2 TL Acura four-door sedan with a sun roof and paper dealer plates.
Anyone with information may call Detective Larry Sugai at 529-3853, or CrimeStoppers at 955-8300 or *CRIME on a cellular phone.
NEIGHBOR ISLANDS
Police ID Big Isle man who died in car plunge
Police have identified a 44-year-old Hamakua man who died Saturday after the pickup truck he was in plunged 300 to 400 feet off the side of Waipio Valley access road. Curtis A. Kailiwai of Paauhau was taken to the Hilo Medical Center where he was pronounced dead at 2:10 a.m.Police said the driver of the truck, John Richard Davis, 35, of Honokaa, could not be found on the evening of the crash. After daybreak, police found him hanging from a tree branch about 100 feet up from the beach.
Rescue personnel rappelled down the side of the cliff and used a helicopter to retrieve Davis from the tree. He was flown to Hilo Medical Center, where he was later confined in guarded condition.
Witnesses told police that the pickup truck had been traveling recklessly at a high rate of speed up the access road just before the accident. Police also said the vehicle was in the process of overtaking another vehicle when the accident occurred.
Police said Kailiwai had not been wearing a seat belt, although airbags deployed on both sides of the truck.
