Newswatch
Police, Fire, Courts
Star-Bulletin staff and wire
Couple faces 10 years over odometer scam
A Honolulu couple has pleaded no contest to three counts of odometer fraud.Husband and wife Ernest C. Hill and Dian H. Creeden also pleaded no contest in 1st Circuit Court to one count of second-degree identity theft, two counts of second-degree theft and one count of second-degree attempted theft after they registered vehicles with rolled back odometers under false names and then attempted to sell them.
The couple sold two cars with false odometer readings in April. In June, they attempted to sell a third car with a tampered reading.
Hill and Creeden each face more than $2,000 in fines and up to a year in jail for tampering with the odometers.
They also face up to 10 years in prison and fines of up to $25,000 for identity theft and up to five years and $10,000 in fines for theft and attempted theft in the second degree.
Their sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 23.
Officials say that more than 20 residents are currently under investigation for odometer fraud. To report a rollback scam, call the Investigation Division of the Department of the Attorney General at 586-1240.
UH hosting free forum on educational reform
The University Community Partnership will hold a free public forum tomorrow on reform and leadership in the public schools.Steven J. Adamowski, professor of education leadership and policy studies at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, will be a featured speaker.
The forum will be 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the University of Hawaii School of Architecture auditorium at 2410 Campus Road. Registration is requested by calling 956-7651 or writing pigawa@hawaii.edu.
The forum is sponsored by the University Community Partnership, a network of community leaders, UH deans, faculty and staff. This is the third forum of a series to bring awareness and offer solutions to support Hawaii's public school principals as a key to educational reform.
Foundation offering agricultural grants
Grants of $1,000 to $5,000 are available for projects in sustainable or diversified agriculture, native plant propagation, reforestation, environmental education and sustainable economic development, the Molokai Environmental Protection Fund of the Tides Foundation announced recently.The foundation "promotes change toward a healthy society, one which is founded on principles of social justice, broadly shared economic opportunity, a robust democratic process and sustainable environmental practices," it said in announcing the grants.
The application deadline is Thursday for grants to be distributed in November. For more information, contact Liza Siegler, Tides Foundation, at (415) 561-6391 or lsiegler@tides.org.
Police, Fire, Courts
By Star-Bulletin staffNEIGHBOR ISLANDS
A 41-year-old Waiehu, Maui, woman was attacked by a shark yesterday while she was swimming near Cove Park in Kihei.
Maui woman injured in Cove Park shark attack
Police said the attack took place 30 yards from shore about 12:55 p.m. The shark bit the woman's right knee and scraped her inner left thigh. Police said the woman cut her hand when she pushed the shark away.
The woman described the shark as gray, three to four feet long. It may have been caught in a fishing net that was left in the water, police said. Police said the woman was treated at the scene for minor injuries and puncture wounds to her knees.
The state Department of Land and Natural Resources closed the beach fronting Cove Park and other beaches in a two-mile radius, including the Kamaole Beach Parks and Kalama Beach Park for five hours. They were reopened at about 6:30 p.m.
Randy Honebrink, spokesman for the state Shark Task Force, said the unattended fishing net may have attracted the shark to the area. But given the limited description of the shark, he said it would be difficult to determine what kind of shark it was since the description could fit half a dozen sharks.
Bicyclist hospitalized after Lahaina crash
A 48-year-old bicyclist was taken to Maui Memorial Medical Center in critical condition after he was struck by a car in Lahaina Saturday.Police said the bicyclist was traveling south on Honoapiilani Highway about 6:29 p.m. near Front Street when he was struck from behind by a vehicle traveling in the same direction.
HONOLULU
An 83-year-old man died yesterday after he was struck by a vehicle in Kaimuki.
Kaimuki man dies after being hit by carPolice said the man attempted to cross the street in front of Foodland at Market City, 2939 Harding Ave., about 7:27 a.m. when he was struck by a two-door maroon Honda Accord driven by an Ewa Beach woman. The woman was heading east from King Street onto Harding Avenue.
Police said the man, a Kaimuki resident, was taken to the Queen's Medical Center in critical condition from severe head injuries. He was pronounced dead at 9 a.m. Police said the driver, who is in her 40s, was not injured in the accident.
Police said glare from the sun may have been a factor. The pedestrian was not in a crosswalk when the accident occurred.
Police said this is the 60th traffic-related fatality so far this year, compared with 48 at the same time last year.
Salt Lake woman, 41, reported missing
Police are looking for a missing 41-year-old Salt Lake woman last seen at 2 a.m. Friday at her Ala Napunani Street home.Police said Gail Harada has been emotionally distraught, has had trouble remembering things and is known to wander away.
When her family awoke at 8:30 a.m. Friday, they noticed Harada missing.
Harada is of Japanese ethnicity, 4 feet 11 inches tall, 125 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes, possibly wearing a T-shirt and shorts.
Anyone with information is asked to call Honolulu Police Department's Missing Persons Detail at 529-3394, e-mail pcamero@co.honolulu.hi.us, or call the Criminal Investigation Division at 529-3115 or CrimeStoppers at 955-8300.
Honolulu Police Department Crimestoppers
