Newswatch
Police, Fire, Courts
Star-Bulletin staff and wire
Probe continues into Big Isle air crash
Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board are continuing their investigation of the crash of a single-engine Piper Warrior tour plane near Milolii on the Big Island.Investigator Clint Johnson spoke yesterday to Phil Auldridge, president of Island Hoppers, as well as the company's chief pilot and other pilots.
Pilot Jelica Matic and passengers Dallas and Catherine Ratcliff suffered burns from the crash at the 4,500-foot level of Mauna Loa on Sunday.
As of Wednesday, Matic was listed in serious condition at the Queen's Medical Center. The Ratcliffs, of West Portsmouth, Ohio, remain in critical condition at Straub Clinic & Hospital.
Investigators suspect the crash occurred 20 minutes after the tour plane left Kona Airport.
The crash was not far from Kona Airport, Johnson said. "The flight was intended to be an hour and a half in duration."
A spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration said Island Hoppers, the tour plane and pilot had no history of accidents.
Mom sues police for son's fatal shooting
The mother of a man fatally shot by police in Aiea two years ago alleges the officers' use of deadly force was unjustified.Louella Cazimero-Bactad, mother of 28-year-old Clinton Candelario, filed a wrongful-death lawsuit yesterday in Circuit Court seeking unspecified damages.
Candelario was allegedly attempting to flee from officers in a car stolen from an Aiea home and had pinned one officer against the side of the garage when the officers opened fire.
At the time, Candelario was wanted on five bench warrants after flunking out of the Hawaii Drug Court program.
He had five active criminal cases pending in Circuit Court that had been put on hold after he enrolled in the Drug Court program. The cases involved first- and second-degree burglary, auto theft, a car break-in and credit card theft.
A police spokeswoman declined comment on the suit.
H-2 lanes to be closed for Kipapa Bridge work
Wahiawa-bound lanes of the H-2 freeway will be closed between the Waipio and Mililani interchanges between 10 p.m. tonight and 6 a.m. tomorrow for maintenance work on Kipapa Bridge, the Department of Transportation announced.Traffic will be redirected to the Ka Uka Boulevard exit. The Ka Uka Boulevard onramp will be closed.
The department advised motorists to use caution while taking alternative routes such as Kamehameha Highway and to allow for extra travel time.
Police, Fire, Courts
By Star-Bulletin staffHONOLULU
CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Two occupants of the white car were injured yesterday after the car ran a stop sign near 1433 Bernice St. at 12:09 p.m. yesterday, according to a witness and emergency personnel. At least four cars were damaged in the crash. Paramedics took two occupants of the white car to the Queen's Medical Center, one in serious condition and one in stable condition.
3 large men sought as suspects in fatal beating
Honolulu police need help in identifying murder suspects who allegedly beat to death a man who was urinating on a truck earlier this week.Witnesses told police they saw several men punch and kick the victim, 26-year-old Mikiala Kahalewai, as he lay on the ground on Kona Street at 1:20 Monday morning. He was taken to the Queen's Medical Center in critical condition and pronounced dead at the hospital by doctors.
One of the suspects was identified as Ulutunu S. Faumuina Jr., 23, who has been arrested and charged with second-degree murder in the case.
Police are looking for witnesses who may have seen the other men who participated in beating the victim that morning.
Police believe they are looking for three males, between 20 to 30 years of age, all of them about 6 feet tall and weighing more than 300 pounds.
Police also said the suspects were described as "looking like football players."
Anyone with information about this case may contact Detective Kathleen Osmond directly at 529-3080. Anonymous calls may also be made to CrimeStoppers at 955-8300 or by dialing *CRIME on a cellular telephone.
McCully bank robbery linked to earlier heists
The suspect in yesterday's bank robbery in McCully is believed to have robbed three other banks, according to Honolulu police.The latest target was the American Savings Bank located at 1806 S. King St. Police said that at 4:30 p.m. the male suspect stood in line, handed a teller a demand note stating that he had a weapon and then fled on foot with an undisclosed amount of cash.
He was last seen running on McCully Street near Young Street.
The same suspect is believed to have robbed Central Pacific Bank's Kalihi branch last Saturday, American Savings Bank's Liliha branch on April 5, and Hawaii National Bank's airport branch on Aug. 1, 2003. The suspect is described as a male in his late 40s to early 50s, 5 feet 9 inches tall, with a heavy build, black hair and a tan complexion.
He was last seen wearing a gray baseball cap, blue-collared shirt and jeans. He told bank employees that he was armed with a weapon, but no weapon was actually seen.
Anyone with information about this robbery may call Detective Gordon Makishima directly at 529-3383. Anonymous calls may be made to CrimeStoppers at 955-8300 or by dialing *CRIME on a cellular phone.
Honolulu Police Department Crimestoppers
