Newswatch
Police, Fire, Courts
Star-Bulletin staff and wire
Kalakaua-Kapiolani repaving work planned
Motorists might want to avoid Kapiolani Boulevard and Kalakaua Avenue tonight and tomorrow night.The city will repave the southbound lanes of Kalakaua Avenue at the Kapiolani intersection from 7 p.m. today to 5 a.m. tomorrow. The northbound lanes of Kalakaua will be repaved from 7 p.m. tomorrow to 5 a.m. Friday.
Kapiolani traffic will be detoured around the construction, which is part of the city's emergency roadwork project.
Seized vehicles to be auctioned next month
A federal public auction of seized vehicles will be held at 10 a.m. July 23 at Aloha Auto Auction at 1001 Ahua St.The vehicles on auction include 1993 Lexus SC400, 1994 BMW 740IL, 1991 Acura Legend and 1996 Chevy Impala. Proceeds will go to the U.S. Marshals Service. Interested buyers may inspect the vehicles at 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 22 and at 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. July 23.
For more information, call the General Services Administration at 668-4878.
Groups file petition to restore Maui streams
A petition seeking to restore water to four streams in the Central Wailuku region of Maui has been filed with the State Commission on Water Resource Management.Earthjustice said Friday that it filed the petition on behalf of two community groups, Maui Tomorrow and Hui o Na Wai Eha. Waihee, North and South Waiehu, Iao and Waikapu streams hold historic and ongoing significance as natural and cultural resources, the environmental law firm said. The streams are drained dry by diversion works operated by former plantation interests, Earthjustice said.
[ THE COURTS ]
Former Kailua man is guilty of killing wife
A Circuit Court jury rejected a former Kailua man's claim that he was under extreme emotional and mental disturbance when he shot his wife to death eight years ago.The jury convicted Danny Haili, 58, of second-degree murder yesterday in the death of Philimena Haili, 50, his wife of 33 years.
Haili's first trial in 1998 ended in a mistrial with jurors deadlocked 11 to 1 in favor of guilty. He was convicted by a different jury of second-degree murder in November 2000.
The Hawaii Supreme Court overturned the conviction and ordered a new trial after witnesses introduced statements from Philimena Haili. The court ruled that violated Danny Haili's rights to confront his accuser. Philimena Haili had told her sister, coworkers, acquaintances, and boyfriend about incidents in which her husband allegedly held a gun to her head, threatened to kill her and physically and sexually abused her.
Philimena Haili had informed her husband months earlier that she was going to leave him and that she was seeing someone else.
Defense attorney Sam King Jr. maintained that Haili was under an extreme mental and emotional disturbance after learning his wife was having an affair and is guilty of the lesser offense of manslaughter, which at the time was punishable by a 10-year prison term.
Prosecutors said Haili's detailed videotaped statement to police about what happened the night of June 1, 1996, showed him as "completely cold" and unemotional.
"It was an execution is what it boiled down to," said Senior Deputy Prosecutor Maurice Arrisgado.
Man, 23, indicted in sex assaults of 2 boys
An Oahu grand jury has indicted a 23-year-old man for allegedly sexually assaulting two boys in public restrooms on separate occasions earlier this month.Ryan M. Vaughn, who has no local address, was charged yesterday with two counts of first-degree sexual assault, second-degree theft, attempted second-degree sexual assault and second-degree extortion. He is being held in lieu of $150,000 bail.
On June 14, a 16-year-old boy reported to police that a man ordered him to perform oral sex at an Ala Moana Center restroom, but that he had refused and was stalked by the man until he paid him $200 cash.
Vaughn allegedly claimed he was an undercover security guard and that he was arresting the youth as part of a sting operation.
On June 22, a 14-year-old boy reported to police that a man who had sought his help Downtown had performed oral sex on him in a public restroom.
The boy said he was offered $200 to help look for the man's girlfriend. When they walked into a restroom so Vaughn could give him the money, Vaughn allegedly assaulted him instead.
Vaughn allegedly told the boy he had a gun but did not threaten him with it, police said.
Vaughn was arrested at Ala Moana Center the next day after security conducting surveillance on the center stage restroom spotted a man matching the description of the boys' assailant.
Estranged husband indicted in stabbings
A Waipahu man accused of trying to stab his estranged wife and fatally stabbing her boyfriend was indicted yesterday by an Oahu grand jury.Airino Asarin, 29, was charged with second-degree murder in the June 15 death of St. "Siwin" Salle, 26, the son of a former lawmaker from Micronesia.
Salle was stabbed multiple times with a kitchen knife and was found dead in the kitchen of a Waipahu townhouse where Vivian Asarin, her four children, and another family were living. Her husband had moved out a week earlier.
Airino Asarin allegedly returned to the home on June 15 and began arguing with his wife after he found Salle in the bedroom. He allegedly struggled with Salle on an upstairs landing outside the bedroom before stabbing him multiple times in the upper body with a kitchen knife.
The couple's four children, ages 8 months to 7 years, were allegedly inside the bedroom at the time.
Circuit Judge Richard Perkins confirmed bail at $100,000.
Police, Fire, Courts
By Star-Bulletin staffHONOLULU
HPD nabs suspect in 'uncle' robberies
Police arrested a 46-year-old man yesterday who they believe has robbed seven banks since last summer.A detective investigating the case had a lead and observed the suspect at a Salt Lake bank yesterday morning, according to police.
The detective arrested the suspect, who has a Honolulu address.
In the seven robberies, police said the man would enter the bank and hand the teller a note saying that he was armed and demanding money.
Police had said they had trouble finding the suspect because of his nondescript looks. A police official had described him as looking like "every neighbor you have" or "somebody's uncle."
In his latest robbery, May 7, the "uncle" robber hit the Kapahulu branch of First Hawaiian Bank, police said.
The man is also suspected in six other robberies since last summer: the Kalihi branch of American Savings Bank on May 5; the Liliha branch of First Hawaiian Bank on April 30; the McCully branch of American Savings Bank on April 22; the Kalihi branch of Central Pacific Bank on April 17; the Liliha branch of American Savings Bank on April 5; and the Hawaii National Bank on Lagoon Drive on Aug. 1.
Fugitive sex offender may be in Hawaii
CrimeStoppers and the Honolulu Police Department are asking for the public's help in locating Carl William Lindsey, a convicted child sex offender in Washington state who is wanted for escape and may be in Honolulu.
Lindsey failed to return to the Department of Corrections in Cowlitz County, Wash., after he was released from the Washington Correctional Center on March 31.
A letter that Lindsey had sent was received yesterday in Washington with a Honolulu postmark, police said.
Lindsey, also known as Eli Lindsey and Karl Van Buren, was arrested for extradition in Hilo in 2002. He was convicted in Florida, Washington and Hawaii for theft, shoplifting, burglary, felony assault and sexual assault.
Lindsey is described as a 26-year-old male, 5 feet 10 inches tall, 145 pounds, with slim build, brown or reddish-blonde hair, hazel eyes, glasses and a fair complexion. His tattoos include insects and animals on his chest, a small teardrop under his left eye, flowers on his right forearm, and shapes on his left forearm.
Anonymous calls can be made to CrimeStoppers at 955-8300 or by dialing *CRIME on a cell phone.
LEEWARD OAHU
Police are looking for a female who robbed the Waipahu branch of Central Pacific Bank yesterday at 1:45 p.m. The suspect was last seen running toward Leeward Drive-In.
Waipahu bank robber armed with handgun
Police were seeking a woman who robbed the Waipahu branch of Central Pacific Bank yesterday.The woman approached the teller with a semiautomatic handgun at 1:45 p.m. and was last seen running toward Leeward Drive-In, police said.
The suspect is described as a woman in her 30s, 5 feet 2 inches, 160 to 180 pounds, with a heavy build, tan complexion, with her black hair in a bun. She was last seen wearing sunglasses, a white T-shirt and black jeans. She was carrying a black backpack.
Anyone with information may call robbery Detective Gordon Makishima at 529-3383.
20-vehicle fire erupts in Pearl City junkyard
About 20 vehicles were set on fire in a junkyard in Pearl City yesterday.The blaze started at 3:55 p.m. at Abe's Auto Recyclers, 96-1268 Waihona St. Fire crews from five companies extinguished the fire after 7 p.m., said fire Capt. Kenison Tejada.
The cause of the fire is unknown, Tejada said.
Fire crews had to wait for a bulldozer to move the vehicles, which were double-stacked, so each one could be sprayed with a foam solution.
All the vehicles in the fire had been junked and had no value, Tejada said.
Honolulu Police Department Crimestoppers
