Chief justice seeks comment on open seat
Chief Justice Ronald Moon is seeking public comment on judicial nominees for a vacancy in the Honolulu District Court.The vacancy occurred when Judge David Fong retired in October.
The Judicial Selection Commission has submitted the following names: Armina Ann Ching, Nancy Ryan Harada, Ronette Kawakami, Faye Koyanagi, Peter Stone and Michael Tanigawa.
Written comments on the character and qualifications of the nominees should be mailed, faxed or delivered no later than Tuesday to Chief Justice Ronald Moon, Supreme Court of Hawaii, 417 S. King St., Honolulu, HI 96813. All comments are confidential.
The chief justice's nomination will be subject to Senate confirmation.
Windward Mall to host domestic-abuse event
The fourth annual "No Excuse for Abuse" to promote awareness of domestic violence will be held Sunday from noon to 3 p.m. at Windward Mall's center stage.Staff members from anti-domestic-violence organizations will answer questions and provide resources to shoppers.
"Domestic abuse and violence don't just affect those injured. It affects their families, friends and co-workers," said state Rep. David Pendleton (R, Kailua-Kaneohe), who sponsors the event.
"Education is only one of the steps in bringing awareness to this issue. If a person knows the signs and symptoms of domestic violence, then perhaps that person can prevent another domestic-violence tragedy. Knowledge combined with support from anti-domestic-violence groups and legislation can save lives."
Members of Balloon Ministries will provide entertainment for children along with a small table for coloring. Pacific Island Praise will also entertain shoppers.
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Police, Fire, Courts
By Star-Bulletin staffHonolulu Police Department Crimestoppers
[ POLICE / FIRE ]
LEEWARD OAHU
House blaze causes 5-acre brush fire
Fire at an abandoned house in Nanakuli ignited nearby brush and burned five acres last night.Thirteen fire companies responded to a house fire at 5:30 p.m. at 87-1320 Farrington Highway near Hakimo Road.
Neighbors said homeless people sometimes stayed in the abandoned, single-story wooden house.
"That was our biggest concern," said Honolulu Fire Department spokesman Capt. Kenison Tejada.
"It started a brush fire that moved quickly up the mountain because of the wind," he said.
The fire was contained at 6:59 p.m. Firefighters continued to work on the perimeter of the fire at 8:30 p.m. and expected to be done by 10:30 p.m.
The fire burned up to about the 250- to 300-foot elevation, Tejada said.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
NEIGHBOR ISLANDS
Maui man held in wife's stabbing
WAILUKU >> A 52-year-old Maui man was being held yesterday by police after allegedly stabbing his wife in the right thigh.The woman, who lost a considerable amount of blood and may have suffered some damage to a vein, was listed in critical condition yesterday at Maui Memorial Medical Center, authorities said.
The stabbing, which took place about 7:34 p.m. Tuesday, stemmed from a domestic dispute at the couple's Haulani Street home in Pukalani, police Lt. Glenn Cuomo said.
Cuomo said charges are pending.
NORTH SHORE
Autopsy to determine alcohol use in crash
Police investigating Tuesday's fatal crash near Haleiwa are awaiting the autopsies of the five victims to confirm that alcohol use on the part of the driver was a factor in the crash.The victims died when their car crashed into a tree along Kamehameha Highway near Kawailoa Drive about 1:30 a.m.
The victims were returning to Waialua after a birthday celebration at Shark's Cove.
Police said the car was speeding.
"It was a high rate of speed, in excess of 80 mph," the speed at which the car's speedometer was frozen, said Lt. Bennett Martin, of the Honolulu Police Department Traffic Division.
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[ COURT ]
Murderer of Waialae woman gets life term
A 34-year-old man convicted of murdering his girlfriend a little more than two years ago continues to maintain that he acted in self-defense and was only trying to protect her 8-year-old son.Henry Lagmay was sentenced yesterday to the statutory maximum of life with parole for stabbing Isabelle Yim-Mortier, 38, at her Waialae townhouse while her son slept in the next room. Lagmay also was sentenced to a 10-year term, to be served concurrently, for breaking into her townhouse. Circuit Judge Richard Perkins also ordered Lagmay to pay $10,000 restitution to the Crime Victims Compensation Commission.
"I know I did what I did," Lagmay told the court yesterday. "The reason why I went over there was, she abused my kid."
Lagmay, according to his attorney Myles Breiner, regarded Yim-Mortier's son as his own and believed that she was physically as well as mentally abusing her son by her refusal to quit abusing drugs and prostituting herself. Yim-Mortier worked as an exotic dancer.
Perkins, in written findings issued earlier, concluded there was evidence Lagmay may have been suffering from an extreme mental and emotional disturbance but that the explanation was not reasonable.
Mililani man pleads guilty to utility theft
Hawaiian Electric crews routinely replacing an electric meter at a residence last year noticed an unauthorized switch had been installed.The switch, which allowed electricity to flow but bypassed the meter, triggered an investigation that resulted in a criminal charge filed against a Board of Water Supply employee.
George Williams Jr., 58, of Mililani, pleaded guilty yesterday to first-degree theft of utility services that occurred over a period of nearly seven years.
A Feb. 19 complaint alleged Williams, a claims investigator with the Board of Water Supply for almost the last two decades, diverted electricity to his home between January 1996 and September 2002.
He faces up to five years in prison and fines of up to $10,000 when sentenced June 24. He is also eligible for probation.
While HECO officials could not say how widespread theft of utilities is, they say it does happen.
According to prosecutors, the rigged electric meter initially discovered by utility crews belonged to a man who told them that Williams had taught him how to do it.
Scott Collins, Williams' attorney, could not be reached for comment.
