Newswatch
Police, Fire, Courts

By Star-Bulletin Staff

3 dead on Maui this year
from flesh-eating bacteria

WAILUKU >> State health officials said today they have received reports of three people on Maui dying from a flesh-eating bacteria this year.

Officials said six cases of necrotizing fasciitis have been reported on Maui since Jan. 1, three of them resulting in fatalities.

The bacterial infections, caused by Group A Streptococcal bacteria and known for producing gaping skin wounds, are usually minor but can sometimes be fatal when they begin to destroy muscle, fat and skin tissue, officials said.

Early symptoms include fever, severe pain, swelling, warmth and redness around the wound site.

Health officials said two people died within a few days, shortly after they were exposed to the bacteria.

Kalanianaole motorists should plan on road delay

State officials are advising East Oahu motorists to expect delays and allow for extra travel time on their commute to Honolulu as a resurfacing project along Kalanianaole Highway is expected to start today.

Two Ewa-bound lanes of the highway will be closed between Nenue and Waa streets Mondays through Fridays from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

During the resurfacing project, workers will cone off a contra-flow lane in the Koko Head-bound lanes to give drivers two Ewa-bound lanes. Left turns from the highway will not be allowed at Nenue Street, West Hind Drive, Wailupe Circle, Kaai Street and Waa Street. During contra-flow time, U-turns will be allowed at East Hind Drive and Analii Street.

At the same time as the resurfacing project, a Koko Head-bound lane on the highway between Ainakoa Avenue and Laukahi Street will be closed for waterline work.

College prep workshops set for Kauai and Oahu

High school students and their parents are invited to attend free workshops on attending and affording college.

The approximately 90-minute workshops will be held at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Kapaa High School chorus room on Kauai and 7 p.m. Thursday at the McKinley High School auditorium on Oahu.

Topics include finding the right college and raising SAT scores.

The workshops are presented by the nonprofit College Connections Hawaii and GEAR UP, a federal program aimed at helping low-income students succeed in college.

Punchbowl cemetery rates 97 percent satisfaction

The National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl has received a 97 percent satisfaction rating in the first nationwide survey of next of kin and funeral directors.

The Department of Veteran Affairs' National Cemetery Administration took the survey in conjunction with Calliber Associates, a survey organization based in Fairfax, Va.

Ninety-eight percent of those who used the Punchbowl cemetery agreed or strongly agreed the service and appearance of the site were excellent. Of the nearly 220 of the next of kin who answered the survey, 99 percent said they would recommend the cemetery to veteran families.

The survey was conducted last July to September.

Nationwide, the survey was mailed to approximately 20,000 next of kin and 3,500 funeral directors concerning burial between August 2000 and March 2001. The response rate was 70 percent.

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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 Managing Editor Frank Bridgewater at 529-4791 or email him at fbridgewater@starbulletin.com.

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Police, Fire, Courts



By Star-Bulletin staff

Honolulu Police Department Crimestoppers

WAIKIKI

Waikiki visitor reports possible drugging, rape

Police have opened a first-degree sexual assault investigation after a 36-year-old woman reported that she may have been drugged and raped.

The woman, a visitor from New Jersey, told police she went to a Waikiki bar about 10 p.m. Saturday where she believes she may have been drugged. She said the last thing she remembers was dancing with a 38-year-old man. At 4:30 a.m. Sunday, the woman was found wandering in a residential neighborhood, police said.

She reported the incident to police after she was taken back to her Waikiki hotel. Police said the woman reported feeling pain in her pelvic area and was taken to Kapiolani Medical Center for a sexual examination. No arrests have been made.

HONOLULU

Police seek suspect, 30, in boy's sexual assault

Police are looking for a 30-year-old man who allegedly sexually assaulted a 14-year-old boy Saturday night in an apartment on Ala Napunani Street in Salt Lake.

According to police, the boy had been home by himself while his parents were camping. He went down to check the mail, and the suspect rode back up in the elevator with him.

The suspect followed the boy into the apartment and sexually assaulted him, police said.

Suspect is sought in car-theft attempt

Police are looking for a man who allegedly tried to steal a car with a passenger in it about 5:30 p.m. Saturday at Makaloa and Keeaumoku streets.

A woman had been sitting in the passenger seat when an unknown male entered through the unlocked driver's door and attempted to drive off. The two struggled over the car keys, police said.

The woman's husband heard her screaming and had a confrontation with the man outside the vehicle. He sprayed the suspect with pepper spray, police said.

The suspect then pushed the husband to the ground and ran away.

Man found in Salt Lake area with no pulse dies

A 70-year-old man who was found bleeding and without a pulse in the driveway of a Salt Lake residence Tuesday night died at Kaiser Medical Center Wednesday, police said.

Other tenants of 1031 Ala Napunani St. found the man about 11:30 p.m. Police said the man still had his wallet and watch. They have classified the case as an unattended death.

LEEWARD OAHU

Man, woman arrested on firearms violations

A 32-year-old man and his 31-year-old girlfriend were arrested for firearm violations following an argument last night in the Aiea Heiau.

Police responded to a call of an argument in the heiau parking lot about 9 p.m. While an officer was speaking to the male suspect, a police dispatcher told the officer that the female caller had indicated that the man had a gun. Police said the man overheard the radio transmission and told the officer that he had a gun in his backpack.

The man gave the officer his backpack and was arrested for carrying a firearm without a permit and for possessing an unregistered weapon. The officer said the man then told him that the woman, his girlfriend, also had a gun. The officer asked the woman for permission to search her bag and found an unloaded gun, police said. She was also arrested for carrying a firearm without a permit and for possessing an unregistered firearm.

WEST OAHU

Man, 39, held on burglary and stolen-car charges

A 39-year-old man arrested outside a Village Park home Saturday was charged yesterday with burglary and driving a stolen vehicle. Bail for James Pickard is $25,000.

Police were sent to a Hanauna Street home about 5:40 p.m. Saturday for a theft case. On the way they received an all-points-bulletin for the suspect's vehicle, which turned out to be stolen.

When the officers arrived, they found the stolen vehicle parked in the garage, police said. As the officers approached, police said Pickard tried to flee in the vehicle then ran. He was arrested four blocks away. A second suspect, a 29-year-old Ewa man, was arrested for holding stolen property.

NORTH SHORE

Police nab Nanakuli girl, 14, in alleged car theft

A 14-year-old Nanakuli girl was arrested for auto theft yesterday after she tried to flee from an allegedly stolen vehicle that she had driven up an embankment, according to police.

Police said a 34-year-old Nanakuli man told police he stopped at Kahe Beach park about 2:30 p.m. to use the rest room and left the keys to his SUV in the ignition. When he returned, the SUV was missing. A short time later police received a call that the vehicle was involved in an accident on Farrington Highway.

Officers spotted the vehicle on Farrington Highway, pursued it and arrested the girl after she drove the SUV up an embankment, police said.

NEIGHBOR ISLANDS

Fall at Honokoa Gulch fatal for Kailua-Kona man

A 27-year-old Kailua-Kona man died yesterday after he fell about 200 feet at Honokoa Gulch in South Kohala, police said. The man has been identified as Joshua Woodward.

Fire officials said Woodward was with five other people in the mountains when he fell around 10:57 a.m. He was pronounced dead at the scene. An investigation is pending, and an autopsy will be performed to determine cause of death.

Sand tunnel collapse critically hurts girl, 7

A 7-year-old girl was in critical condition today at Kapiolani Medical Center after being buried under three feet of sand at Hana, Maui.

About 6:15 p.m. Saturday, Zaney Ann Kalama-Baker and other children had dug a tunnel in the sand, police said. The tunnel collapsed while she was inside, police said.

Police and fire officials responded and discovered the child was not breathing. Officials successfully administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Medical personnel in Hana treated Kalama-Baker initially, and she was later flown by helicopter to Kapiolani Medical Center, police said.