Newswatch
Police, Fire, Courts

By Star-Bulletin Staff

Oahu grand jury brings tax return indictment

An Oahu grand jury has indicted Jeffrey R. Yano with filing false income tax returns for 1999 and 2000.

Yano was also charged Wednesday with two counts of second-degree theft and one count for failing to file his 1999 income tax return on time.

Yano failed to report wages he earned and received refunds he was not entitled to for 1999 and 2000, according to the state Tax Department.

If convicted, Yano faces a maximum 17 years in prison and a maximum fine of $235,000.

Ala Wai Driving Range will close for 3 days

The Ala Wai Driving Range will be closed Monday-Wednesday while work is being done.

The city will be removing the asphalt cart path behind the hitting stalls and replacing it with concrete.

Work on upgrading the cart paths at the Ala Wai Golf Course will not affect the golf course schedule.

For more information, call the golf course at 733-7387 or the driving range at 735-5889.

Honolulu Harbor gets $650,000 security grant

Honolulu Harbor has received $650,000 from Congress to beef up port security, said Jadine Urisaki, deputy director of the state Department of Transportation.

The grant is part of $92.3 million in grants Congress approved earlier this month for ports nationwide.

The Transportation Department applied for $4 million in grants to secure all of the state's ports but only received money for Honolulu Harbor, Urisaki said.

The $650,000 grant will be divided among security services ($450,000), security fences ($150,000) and port barriers ($50,000), Urisaki said.

Of the $92.3 million in grants approved, $78 million was allocated for enhanced facility and operational security, $5 million was to help port authorities evaluate security vulnerabilities and $9.3 million was for port security technology research.

Governor returns from business trip to Asia

Gov. Ben Cayetano and his wife returned yesterday from a 12-day trip to South Korea and Vietnam organized by the state Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism to help stimulate trade opportunities.

In South Korea, Cayetano led a delegation of 20 Hawaii business leaders, including representatives from the Hawaii Korean Chamber of Commerce, the Centennial Committee of Korean Immigration to the United States and the tourist industry.

The Vietnam visit was the first by a U.S. governor and first official business mission by a state since the lifting of the U.S. trade embargo in 1994, Cayetano's office said.

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Corrections and clarifications >> Maj. Charles Anthony is spokesman for the state Department of Defense. In a "Kokua Line" item Wednesday, he was misidentified as Capt. Anthony. >> A Page A6 story Wednesday on a Hawaii County plan to raise the minimum property tax on some properties in the homeowner class incorrectly said that 13,228 properties would be affected. That number actually applies to several property classes. The affected number in the homeowner class only is not yet available. 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

WINDWARD OAHU

MidWeek photos bring arrest of fifth fugitive

Alexander Simeona was arrested Wednesday in Waimanalo after police received several tips.

Simeona, also known as Shane Someona, was arrested on Huli Street at 6:30 p.m. He has five felony convictions for burglary and one auto theft. Simeona was also wanted for questioning in a burglary of a Leeward Coast business.

This is the fifth arrest made from photos of fugitives that appeared on the front page of MidWeek two weeks ago.

Anyone with information about the fugitives can call CrimeStoppers at 955-8300.

HONOLULU

Man arrested in attack on Punchbowl neighbor

A 44-year-old Punchbowl man was arrested Wednesday after a feud with a neighbor turned violent.

The neighbor, a 42-year-old man, told police he was walking to his car on Miller Street about 6 p.m. when the suspect kicked him. Police said the two men then got into a brief fistfight.

The neighbor said he bent down to pick up his shirt after believing the fight was over when he saw the suspect with a knife. He told police the suspect sliced his left arm at the elbow. He said the suspect then chased him, threatening to kill him. Police arrived and arrested the suspect for assault and terroristic threatening.

NEIGHBOR ISLANDS

Thieves on Big Island steal $2,000 in koa

Police are seeking the public's help in solving the theft of koa wood from Kaimalino Ranch in Hookena, South Kona, sometime between June 13 and Monday.

Various lengths of cut koa wood valued at more than $2,000 were dragged to a waiting vehicle parked along the Hawaii Belt Road, police said.

Anyone with information can call officer Don Takahashi of the Kona Patrol Division at 326-4646 or the police nonemergency number at 935-3311.