Arakawa says his
trial was biased

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Associated Press

A former police officer convicted of manslaughter in connection with a fatal traffic accident believes he didn't get a fair trial.

"Due to the overbearing media coverage and bias and villainizing of myself, I feel the jurors had a pretty preset idea of who was going to be found guilty in this instance," Clyde Arakawa told television station KITV in an interview conducted yesterday inside the Oahu Community Correctional Center.

Arakawa, 50, is being held without bail while awaiting sentencing Monday by Circuit Judge Karen Ahn.

A jury convicted Arakawa on Feb. 19 for the Oct. 7, 2000, accident that killed Dana Ambrose.

Arakawa said he was disappointed by the verdict.

"I was hoping for (a verdict of) negligent homicide in the first degree," he said.

Negligent homicide carries a 10-year prison term.

For the manslaughter conviction, Ahn can impose a maximum 20-year prison term or place Arakawa on probation with no more than one year in jail as a condition.

"I hope the judge will consider probation and jail time," Arakawa said. "But I think she's going to give me an open 20."

Arakawa said he wished he had been the one to die in the accident.