Maui police
hold off on charges
WAILUKU >> Maui police detectives will wait for the results of toxicology tests before deciding whether to seek charges in the death of a Valley Isle man, Police Lt. Glenn Cuomo said yesterday.
Cuomo said 44-year-old Seward Smythe Jr. died during or shortly after a fight with a male acquaintance Monday morning.
Cuomo said the Maui medical examiner has yet to determine the cause of death and that toxicology test results are expected to be completed in about two weeks.
The suspect, 35, was arrested by police Monday night in Kahului but was expected to be released last night without being charged, pending further investigation, Cuomo said.
Cuomo declined to comment on the motive for the fight. He said the case is classified as a homicide.
Smythe, a private process server for Maui Circuit Court, had been remodeling a family house at Akahai Place in rural Haiku.