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State roadwork takes a break until Jan. 4

The state Transportation Department has not scheduled any lane closures for the remainder of the holiday season, with the exceptions of a 12-hour closure starting tonight on the H-1 freeway and from 8:30 a.m. to noon this morning near the Makakilo offramp.

Highway work that does not involve lane closures will continue. Emergency road maintenance work could also be scheduled without notice.

The westbound right and center lanes of H-1 near the Makakilo offramp was to be closed this morning while Grace Pacific Corp. does rockfall mitigation work at the quarry site above the freeway.

That is where a 3-ton boulder fell on the freeway Monday. Motorists in two cars that hit the rock were hospitalized.

The Transportation Department said the only other lane closure scheduled through the rest of the year is for the H-1 freeway's Waimalu widening project on Friday and Saturday.

The right Ewa-bound lane of the freeway will be closed between the Kaonohi Street overpass and the Pearl City offramp from 10 p.m. today to 10:30 a.m. tomorrow.

Lane closures for ongoing road projects will continue Jan. 4, the department said.

Deputy sheriffs receive new bulletproof vests

Deputy sheriffs got bulletproof vests this week, more than three months after union officials complained that the safety precaution should be standard issue.

In September, Hawaii Government Employees Association officials questioned why sheriffs were not protected with bulletproof vests.

Shortly afterward, the state Department of Public Safety got a $163,000 grant to buy 240 custom-fitted vests.

About 180 vests arrived earlier this week and were distributed to deputy sheriffs. Another 57 vests are expected to arrive later this month.

James Propotnick, DPS director of law enforcement, said the vests are now standard-issue equipment for sheriffs.

Holiday plant rules in effect at Punchbowl

Potted plants and artificial flowers will be allowed at National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific grave sites through the holiday season, officials said.

The flowers will be permitted beginning Monday and can remain until Jan. 3.

Christmas trees, statues, vigil lights, toys and other decorations are not permitted at grave sites. Also, floral items cannot be attached to markers, cemetery officials said.

For more information, contact the cemetery at 532-3720.

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Police, Fire, Courts



By Star-Bulletin staff

NEIGHBOR ISLANDS

Kauai police look into Puhi man's death

Kauai police have opened a homicide investigation into last week's death of a 62-year-old Puhi man.

Officers were called to Wilcox Hospital at about 5 p.m. about a possible assault at a Puhi residence.

After talking with the man who was treated for head injuries at Wilcox Hospital, police went to the Puhi residence and found the resident, Frank Yoro, with head injuries. He was also taken to Wilcox Hospital, where he died at about 2 p.m. the next day.

The initial victim was arrested by police on suspicion of second-degree murder and was released pending further investigation.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact Lt. Roy Asher at 241-1680 or Detectives Samuel Sheldon, Marvin Rivera or Joseph Adric.

4 arrested in alleged Big Isle home robbery

Big Island police arrested four men for allegedly robbing a Pahoa resident on Nov. 24.

According to police, three men wearing ski masks and brandishing firearms came to the victim's residence and demanded certain property. The victim told them he did not have what they were asking for.

The three men left with an undisclosed amount of cash and escaped in a vehicle driven by a fourth man.

The suspects were arrested over the past several days.

Michael R. Kapika, 19, of Pahoa, Puna, was charged with first-degree robbery and released on $5,000 bail. Dysen Lee Nakano-Domen, 18, was charged with first-degree robbery and first-degree burglary and is being held in the Hilo police cellblock in lieu of $7,000 bail.

The two other suspects were released pending further investigation, but one of them was held under a bench warrant in an unrelated case.

WINDWARD OAHU

Officer is assaulted while making arrest

A police officer who tracked down an alleged auto thief was attacked by the suspect and another man Wednesday, police said.

The plainclothes officer found the suspect in Waimanalo at about 4 p.m. When the officer tried to arrest the suspect, a struggle began, and then the officer was grabbed from behind by another man, police said. The first suspect then assaulted the officer while he was being held by the second suspect, police said.

Other officers arrived and arrested the first suspect for investigation of auto theft, assaulting a police officer and hindering prosecution. The man who grabbed the officer from behind fled. The officer who was assaulted was treated and released in good condition from an area hospital.