Newswatch
Police, Fire, Courts

By Star-Bulletin Staff

Aloha Tower is set to be reopened today

Aloha Tower was scheduled to reopen today after being closed for nearly nine months, state officials said.

The landmark 10-story tower at Aloha Tower Marketplace was closed by the state as a security precaution after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

There will be increased security, and all bags and personal items will be subject to search before entering the elevator at the base of the tower, the state Department of Transportation said.

Nearly 5,000 people visited the tower each week before it was closed.

The tower will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

State Supreme Court disbars Maui attorney

The state Supreme Court has disbarred Maui attorney Lowell Chatburn from the practice of law, effective June 29.

Chatburn is being disbarred for numerous ethical violations, including the commingling and conversion of client funds for his own use, the high court announced Friday.

The Supreme Court ordered Chatburn to pay $128,592.59 in restitution to Dorvin Leis of Maui.

Chatburn, 55, was admitted to the practice of law in Hawaii in 1984.

Arizona Memorial closure postponed

The USS Arizona Memorial will not be shut down today, as previously announced.

The closure was scheduled from today until June 14 for maintenance. But it is now postponed because of the late arrival of repair equipment and a possible modification of the dock repair plan.

Park officials have no new closure dates.

For more information on the closure, call the park's hot line at 422-2771.

Isle worker at Japanese Consulate is honored

A 36-year veteran employee of the Japanese Consulate in Honolulu received an award Friday for her work as a clerk in the Consular Affairs section.

Nancy Nagai received the Order of the Sacred Treasure, Gold and Silver Rays, at an Imperial Decoration Presentation ceremony at the consulate. She was one of two former employees who received the award for the spring term.

Minoru Ueda, a member of the Honolulu Japanese Chamber of Commerce for more than 20 years, also received the award. Ueda accepted the award at a ceremony earlier this year at Japan's Imperial Palace.

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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

NEIGHBOR ISLANDS

Fed firefighters join battle against Big Island blaze

Federal firefighters from the mainland joined their local counterparts yesterday battling the huge Kupukupu brush fire ignited by a lava flow in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

The fire burned 1,072 acres yesterday, according to Mardie Lane, spokeswoman for the park. Since May 17 the fire has burned 3,660 acres, most of that over the weekend.

The mainland crews are from Arizona and California, and more are expected to arrive today, Lane said.

The fire is threatening a native rain forest near the hairpin turn of Chain of Craters Road, Lane said.

The firefighting team used four helicopters yesterday to drop foam on the fire, trying to keep it from spreading. Park rangers were to fly over the area this morning to check on the condition of the fire as well as the status of the flow.

LEEWARD OAHU

Man allegedly shoots his cousin in head

A 27-year-old Ewa Beach man was listed in critical condition at Queen's Medical Center last night after his cousin allegedly shot him in the head, police said.

The victim and his 44-year-old cousin were arguing at the intersection of Komo Mai Drive and Waimano Home Road in Pearl City about 11:48 a.m. yesterday, police said.

The suspect was walking along Komo Mai Drive toward Pacific Palisades when the victim pulled up alongside him in his pickup truck, police said.

The suspect then pulled out a handgun and shot his cousin, police said.

Police arrested the suspect a short time later for attempted murder and firearm charges and recovered the gun they believe was used in the shooting.

Man allegedly punches driver who had seizure

Police arrested a 48-year-old man who allegedly punched a 30-year-old man who had suffered a seizure while driving on Farrington Highway and crashed into a parked van.

The incident occurred on May 18 at 6:19 p.m. Police contacted the suspect after the incident, and he later turned himself in to the Kalihi Police Station. He was released on Friday pending an investigation.

HONOLULU

Police catch man who escaped work furlough

Police captured a 37-year-old man who escaped Friday from the Laumaka Work Furlough Center at Oahu Community Correctional Center.

The man was given a day work pass that expired at 5:30 p.m. on Friday. The man's employer contacted the center and told them that the man had been fired.

At around 5:30 p.m., the man contacted OCCC and told officials that he was headed back to the center. He was given until 6:15 p.m. to return. By 7:30 p.m. he had not returned. The man was arrested at about 10:30 p.m.

Special ed student allegedly kicks teacher

Police arrested a 10-year-old special-education student Friday at Makalapa Elementary School near Foster Village after he allegedly kicked his 23-year-old teacher.

The teacher put the student in timeout for misbehavior and later attempted to take the boy to the front office for hitting the walls and windows when he was kicked in the leg by the boy, police said. The teacher intends to prosecute. The boy was released pending investigation.

Parking error leads to auto theft arrests

Police arrested three people at the Diamond Head Lookout just after midnight yesterday after they allegedly parked a stolen car illegally.

An officer making routine checks at the lookout noticed that the occupants had parked in a no-parking zone and asked them to leave. After checking the license plate, the officer found that the vehicle had been reported as stolen during a burglary, police said.

The officer then stopped the car and arrested two men, 29 and 22, and a woman, 21, police said.

Homeless man allegedly burns another's items

Police are investigating a case in which a 45-year-old homeless man allegedly set fire to another homeless man's belongings on Saturday night.

According to police, the victim, 39, had been staying in a spot underneath the roadway at Nimitz Highway and River Street downtown. When he returned there at about 8:30 p.m. with a Kailua woman, they discovered the suspect there and a small fire burning.

The victim attempted to extinguish the fire by throwing the burning items -- clothes and trash -- into the harbor, but the fire flared up, and the man and woman had to leave, police said.

The suspect made comments about "having to burn" the place before fleeing, police said. The woman located him at a nearby bar and identified him to police.