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Hanapepe Swinging Bridge is shut down

HANAPEPE, Hawaii » Kauai County officials have closed the Hanapepe Swinging Bridge afterdiscovering that the wooden footbridge was damaged by a weekend storm.

It has not been determined when the landmark footbridge over the Hanapepe River will reopen, officials said in a news release yesterday.

A portion of the bridge has completely split apart from the end support at the town side of the bridge, said Al Afos, of the county Roads Division.

The county is assessing the damage from Saturday night's storm and will likely consult a structural engineer.

"The Hanapepe Swing Bridge is a historic, useful and unique gem for Kauai," said Ladye Martin, deputy county engineer.

Chinatown safety meeting is planned

The Oct. 2 kidnapping, drugging and sexual assault of a downtown girl has prompted a police presentation to the Chinatown Chinese community on how to avoid becoming a crime victim.

Police will present an informational meeting Jan. 23, 3 to 4:30 p.m., at the New Empress Restaurant, second floor, Chinatown Cultural Plaza, to offer safety tips.

The event is co-sponsored by the Chinese Community Action Coalition.

Safety awareness topics include being home alone, stalking, sexual harassment, safety at home, after-school safety, robbery prevention, telephone harassment, kidnapping and identifying criminals.

The meeting will be held in English with Cantonese translation.

In the Oct. 2 attack, a 17-year-old Chinese girl was on her way to work just before 8 a.m. when she was allegedly lured inside a Big Brothers Big Sisters truck by the driver, who asked for directions.

Alleged travel scam artist pleads not guilty

A former travel agent accused of selling more than $600,000 of bogus airline tickets to 182 people in seven years pleaded not guilty yesterday in Circuit Court.

Wayne Abe, 56, was charged Jan. 5 with first-degree theft and money laundering in an alleged airline ticket scam between August 1997 and April 2003. He is scheduled for trial the week of March 15.

Abe was previously indicted in December 2003 for allegedly selling air fares to at least eight individuals and failing to come up with the tickets.

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Police, Fire, Courts



By Star-Bulletin staff

NEIGHBOR ISLANDS

Kauai police suspect foul play in 18-year-old woman's death

Kauai police opened a homicide investigation after the body of an 18-year-old woman was found yesterday morning in Hanapepe near an area commonly known as Glass Beach.

Police said the victim has been tentatively identified as a Kauai woman, but are withholding her identity until her family has been notified and a positive identification is made. Police are awaiting autopsy results to determine the cause of death.

Detectives believe the victim was fatally injured between 10 p.m. and midnight Wednesday.

Anyone with information is asked to call either Lt. Roy Asher, Detective Sam Sheldon or Detective Marvin Rivera at 241-1711.

WAIKIKI

Police catch suspects in alleged mugging

Police arrested two teenagers in Waikiki yesterday after they allegedly attacked and robbed a 21-year-old female Japanese tourist.

Police said the woman was walking in Waikiki when a teenage boy allegedly grabbed her by the head and an 18-year-old man grabbed her purse. The woman was thrown to the ground and received minor cuts and bruises, police said. The suspects fled.

Police caught the suspects within minutes of the 2:45 p.m. robbery. The victim and her sister, who accompanied her, identified the suspects, police said.

Tourist is arrested for alleged sex assault

Police arrested a 30-year-old male tourist for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman at his Waikiki hotel Wednesday.

The victim, 25, and her fiance befriended the suspect while he was vacationing on Oahu, police said. The alleged assault occurred at the suspect's Kalakaua Avenue hotel room about 6:30 a.m. Police did not provide further details.

HONOLULU

Kalihi man allegedly threatens wife's life

Police arrested a 43-year-old Kalihi man after he allegedly threatened his wife with a knife Wednesday.

The incident occurred about 12:30 a.m. while the couple was arguing, police said. The suspect grabbed a kitchen knife and cornered the victim on the lanai outside their apartment, police said. The suspect then pressed the knife against her chest and threatened to kill her, according to police.

Officers arrested the suspect for investigation of first-degree terroristic threatening and recovered the knife at the scene.