Honolulu Star-Bulletin Hawaii News

Prisoner to describe deadly police chase

HILO >> Hawaii County attorneys have been granted permission to take a deposition from a man serving 20 years in prison for causing a fatal traffic accident.

The county is facing three lawsuits filed by the family of Ellison Sweezey, who was killed in 2000 when the car she was in was hit by a stolen car being chased by police.

Richard Rosario, the driver of the stolen car, has pleaded no contest to manslaughter and is serving his sentence at the Tallahatchie County Correctional Facility in Mississippi.

Circuit Judge Greg Nakamura said Friday that county attorneys could take Rosario's deposition.

The judge also held that if the county loses in court, it can only be held responsible for the percentage of liability determined by a jury.

Among other things, the lawsuits contend police failed to follow procedures during the chase and that police failed to weigh the urgency of the immediate arrest of Rosario against the danger to the public.

One of the lawsuits was filed by Paulyn Estioko, Sweezey's sister, who was injured in the accident and who is caring for Sweezey's five children.

Trial was scheduled for Jan. 31, but Deputy Corporation Counsel Harry Freitas said it will probably be postponed.

Isle native set to be district judge in Utah

OGDEN, Utah >> A 55-year-old Japanese-American lawyer and Hawaii native is set to become the first member of an ethnic minority to take the bench in Utah's 2nd District Court.

John R. Morris has been confirmed and is scheduled to be sworn in Sept. 17.

Morris said he and his wife, Ann, are third-generation Japanese Americans, but much of the family history from his mother's side no longer exists because it was held just a few blocks from the center of the U.S. nuclear attack on Hiroshima in 1945.

However, he said he still has many of the rice paper records written in Japanese script that his grandfather brought with him when he emigrated to Hawaii about 40 years before the bombing.

"I even have the contract he signed to work in the pineapple fields when he first moved there," he said.

Morris was born in Hawaii and raised in northern Virginia. He received his undergraduate degree from Princeton and graduated from Brigham Young University's law school in 1977.

[Taking Notice]

>> Summer internships for U.S. Rep. Ed Case (D-Rural Oahu, Neighbor Islands) were awarded to Marc Allred of Laie, attending Brigham Young University-Hawaii; Ashley Hirano of Lihue, at Claremont McKenna College in California; Sara Cunningham of Hilo, at Brown University in Rhode Island; and Caleb Rowe of Wailuku, at the University of California at Berkeley.

>> The Market City Foundation has awarded $1,000 scholarships to graduating seniors Eun Jung Lee of Kaimuki High School, attending the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and Natasia A. De Silva of Kalani High School, at Harvard University.

>> Waialua High School's team took second place overall at the Electrathon Grand Prix in May at Portland International Raceway. The team of 11 students engineered, designed and built their electric vehicle.

Members included Joseph Gudoy (driver), Ryan Bruno, Joshua Gonsalves, Krystle Jumawan, Rolan Lawi-an, Jovi Lo, Matthew Menor, Aaron Nishikawa, Victoria Nishikawa, Arie Obayashi and Brandon Sakata. Teachers included Glenn Lee, Tim Pregana and Linda Souza.

>> The UH Foundation has appointed Mark Fukeda as the new director of development for UH-Manoa's College of Education. He will be responsible for securing major gifts from private donors. Fukeda was most recently director of development for the College of Engineering at Manoa.

>> Wendy Medeiros, a clerk typist at the UH Center in West Hawaii, has received the Chancellor's Award for Outstanding Service. Marilyn Ito-Won, associate professor and counselor at Honolulu Community College, has received the Masaki Kunimoto Memorial Award for Outstanding Contribution to Vocational Education.

>> Kelly H. Kanayama of Honolulu has been named a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, a nonprofit honors organization.

>> Hawaii Pacific University has been awarded a $5,000 grant by First Hawaiian Foundation, the charitable arm of First Hawaiian Bank, for the Kane Fernandez Scholarship. The scholarship was founded in honor of Fernandez, a lifelong environmental advocate and supporter of education.

>> The Windward Oahu Branch of the American Association of University Women has awarded a $1,000 scholarship to JoAnn Kahi Aiu of Chaminade University; and $500 scholarships to Darlene Ramones, Christy Ann Gilman and Dayan Isa of the University of Hawaii at Manoa; Romelyn Arellano of Heald College; and Michelle O'Phelan of Windward Community College.

"Taking Notice" runs on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Please send items to City Desk, Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana, Suite 7-210, Honolulu, HI 96813.

Police, Fire, Courts

By Star-Bulletin staff

NEIGHBOR ISLANDS

Big Isle crews fight fire started by car

Hawaii County firefighters were trying to contain a brush fire that had burned more than 100 acres as of last night near the top of Waikaloa Road in South Kohala.

The blaze was sparked by a car that left the roadway at about 1:30 p.m. and caught fire after colliding head-on with another vehicle between mile markers 9 and 10 on Waikaloa Road, a Fire Department dispatcher said.

Fire officials could not say how many people were involved in the accident. But at least two were critically injured: a boy who was airlifted to North Hawaii Community Hospital and a woman who was taken to Kona Hospital. Their ages were not immediately available.

The fire -- which started about two miles from the intersection of Waikaloa Road and Mamalahoa Highway -- spread north, burning mostly low brush and grasslands, and was not threatening homes.

Fire crews on the ground and in the air worked through the day to try to slow the fire's spread. By last night the fire was not moving so quickly, and firefighters were preparing to put firebreaks in place.

About three companies -- with four to six firefighters each -- worked on the blaze. Volunteer firefighters also helped.

Big Isle police arrest man, 21, in shooting

Big Island police are investigating a shooting in Kailua-Kona early yesterday that sent a 21-year-old Honomu woman to Kona Community Hospital with a gunshot wound to her back.

Police arrested a 21-year-old Kailua-Kona man at the scene, the parking lot of the Coconut Grove Marketplace on Alii Drive. Police say bystanders wrestled the suspect to the ground and removed a .25-caliber semiautomatic pistol from his hand.

Police did not know the woman's condition last night. The suspect was taken to Kona Community Hospital for treatment of injuries sustained while he was being subdued. He will be transported to the Kona cellblock when he is released from the hospital, police said.

Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to call Detective Zachary Houchin of the Kona Criminal Investigation Section at 326-4646, ext. 262, or the police non-emergency number at 935-3111.

Honolulu Police Department Crimestoppers

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Newswatch Prisoner to describe deadly police chase HILO >> Hawaii County attorneys have been granted permission to take a deposition from a man serving 20 years in prison for causing a fatal traffic accident. The county is facing three lawsuits filed by the family of Ellison Sweezey, who was killed in 2000 when the car she was in was hit by a stolen car being chased by police. Richard Rosario, the driver of the stolen car, has pleaded no contest to manslaughter and is serving his sentence at the Tallahatchie County Correctional Facility in Mississippi. Circuit Judge Greg Nakamura said Friday that county attorneys could take Rosario's deposition. The judge also held that if the county loses in court, it can only be held responsible for the percentage of liability determined by a jury. Among other things, the lawsuits contend police failed to follow procedures during the chase and that police failed to weigh the urgency of the immediate arrest of Rosario against the danger to the public. One of the lawsuits was filed by Paulyn Estioko, Sweezey's sister, who was injured in the accident and who is caring for Sweezey's five children. Trial was scheduled for Jan. 31, but Deputy Corporation Counsel Harry Freitas said it will probably be postponed. Isle native set to be district judge in Utah OGDEN, Utah >> A 55-year-old Japanese-American lawyer and Hawaii native is set to become the first member of an ethnic minority to take the bench in Utah's 2nd District Court. John R. Morris has been confirmed and is scheduled to be sworn in Sept. 17. Morris said he and his wife, Ann, are third-generation Japanese Americans, but much of the family history from his mother's side no longer exists because it was held just a few blocks from the center of the U.S. nuclear attack on Hiroshima in 1945. However, he said he still has many of the rice paper records written in Japanese script that his grandfather brought with him when he emigrated to Hawaii about 40 years before the bombing. "I even have the contract he signed to work in the pineapple fields when he first moved there," he said. Morris was born in Hawaii and raised in northern Virginia. He received his undergraduate degree from Princeton and graduated from Brigham Young University's law school in 1977. BACK TO TOP \| [Taking Notice] >> Summer internships for U.S. Rep. Ed Case (D-Rural Oahu, Neighbor Islands) were awarded to Marc Allred of Laie, attending Brigham Young University-Hawaii; Ashley Hirano of Lihue, at Claremont McKenna College in California; Sara Cunningham of Hilo, at Brown University in Rhode Island; and Caleb Rowe of Wailuku, at the University of California at Berkeley. >> The Market City Foundation has awarded $1,000 scholarships to graduating seniors Eun Jung Lee of Kaimuki High School, attending the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and Natasia A. De Silva of Kalani High School, at Harvard University. >> Waialua High School's team took second place overall at the Electrathon Grand Prix in May at Portland International Raceway. The team of 11 students engineered, designed and built their electric vehicle. Members included Joseph Gudoy (driver), Ryan Bruno, Joshua Gonsalves, Krystle Jumawan, Rolan Lawi-an, Jovi Lo, Matthew Menor, Aaron Nishikawa, Victoria Nishikawa, Arie Obayashi and Brandon Sakata. Teachers included Glenn Lee, Tim Pregana and Linda Souza. >> The UH Foundation has appointed Mark Fukeda as the new director of development for UH-Manoa's College of Education. He will be responsible for securing major gifts from private donors. Fukeda was most recently director of development for the College of Engineering at Manoa. >> Wendy Medeiros, a clerk typist at the UH Center in West Hawaii, has received the Chancellor's Award for Outstanding Service. Marilyn Ito-Won, associate professor and counselor at Honolulu Community College, has received the Masaki Kunimoto Memorial Award for Outstanding Contribution to Vocational Education. >> Kelly H. Kanayama of Honolulu has been named a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, a nonprofit honors organization. >> Hawaii Pacific University has been awarded a $5,000 grant by First Hawaiian Foundation, the charitable arm of First Hawaiian Bank, for the Kane Fernandez Scholarship. The scholarship was founded in honor of Fernandez, a lifelong environmental advocate and supporter of education. >> The Windward Oahu Branch of the American Association of University Women has awarded a $1,000 scholarship to JoAnn Kahi Aiu of Chaminade University; and $500 scholarships to Darlene Ramones, Christy Ann Gilman and Dayan Isa of the University of Hawaii at Manoa; Romelyn Arellano of Heald College; and Michelle O'Phelan of Windward Community College. "Taking Notice" runs on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Please send items to City Desk, Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana, Suite 7-210, Honolulu, HI 96813. Police, Fire, Courts By Star-Bulletin staff NEIGHBOR ISLANDS Big Isle crews fight fire started by car Hawaii County firefighters were trying to contain a brush fire that had burned more than 100 acres as of last night near the top of Waikaloa Road in South Kohala. The blaze was sparked by a car that left the roadway at about 1:30 p.m. and caught fire after colliding head-on with another vehicle between mile markers 9 and 10 on Waikaloa Road, a Fire Department dispatcher said. Fire officials could not say how many people were involved in the accident. But at least two were critically injured: a boy who was airlifted to North Hawaii Community Hospital and a woman who was taken to Kona Hospital. Their ages were not immediately available. The fire -- which started about two miles from the intersection of Waikaloa Road and Mamalahoa Highway -- spread north, burning mostly low brush and grasslands, and was not threatening homes. Fire crews on the ground and in the air worked through the day to try to slow the fire's spread. By last night the fire was not moving so quickly, and firefighters were preparing to put firebreaks in place. About three companies -- with four to six firefighters each -- worked on the blaze. Volunteer firefighters also helped. Big Isle police arrest man, 21, in shooting Big Island police are investigating a shooting in Kailua-Kona early yesterday that sent a 21-year-old Honomu woman to Kona Community Hospital with a gunshot wound to her back. Police arrested a 21-year-old Kailua-Kona man at the scene, the parking lot of the Coconut Grove Marketplace on Alii Drive. Police say bystanders wrestled the suspect to the ground and removed a .25-caliber semiautomatic pistol from his hand. Police did not know the woman's condition last night. The suspect was taken to Kona Community Hospital for treatment of injuries sustained while he was being subdued. He will be transported to the Kona cellblock when he is released from the hospital, police said. Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to call Detective Zachary Houchin of the Kona Criminal Investigation Section at 326-4646, ext. 262, or the police non-emergency number at 935-3111. 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