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Fuel is removed from stranded boat

All tank-stored fuel on the stranded boat Casitas has been removed, marking the completion of the most environmentally risky part of the rescue operation in the remote Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.

Yesterday, workers finished removing the last of 13,900 gallons of diesel fuel, black oil and oily water from the Casitas to the private vessel Quest, the Coast Guard reported.

About 30,000 gallons of diesel fuel were removed from the Casitas earlier this week to the Coast Guard cutter Walnut.

The completion of those phases ends immediate concerns about pollution affecting the endangered Hawaiian monk seals that live in the immediate area, said Barbara Maxfield, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service spokeswoman.

Work to remove the ship from a reef at Pearl and Hermes Atoll will begin next week, Coast Guard Petty Officer Jennifer Johnson said. The Casitas ran aground July 2. En route to assist are the tug Contender with a 240-foot barge, the tug American Emerald with a 140-foot barge, and the motor vessel Condor.

Maui man will lead Chaminade regents

A Maui resident and retired board chairman of the QLogic Corp. has accepted the position of chairman of Chaminade University's Board of Regents.

Gary Liebl replaces John Brogan, retired president of Starwood Hotels and Resorts-Hawaii, who had been regent chairman for Chaminade since 2001. He has also served as first vice chairman of the regents.

Brogan will continue as a regent and chairman of Chaminade's capital campaign.

Search for unclaimed property is free

Oahu residents may request a free search to discover unclaimed property due to them at the Filipino Community Center in Waipahu, 94-428 Mokuola St., today from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

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[ TAKING NOTICE ]

» The Mabel I. Wilcox Foundation Trust has donated $1,000 to the American Cancer Society to support its "Look Good ... Feel Better" and "Reach to Recovery" programs on Kauai.

» Foster Family Programs of Hawaii was awarded $70,000 by the Victoria S. & Bradley L. Geist Foundation and $20,000 by the Teresa F. Hughes Trust Estate. These funds will subsidize the agency's Enhancements Program to improve the lives of foster children.

The foster program also received $50,000 from the Geist Foundation and $12,000 from the Fred Baldwin Memorial Foundation for the Hawaii Foster Youth Coalition to help support young people transition out of foster care.

» The Ka Hale Kahaluu Youth Group in Kailua-Kona has received $1,900 from the Hawaii Community Foundation's Moe Bettah Together and the Paulama Ini Opio programs to address community issues and provide family activities at the Ka Hale Kahaluu housing project.

» Parents and Children Together has been awarded $50,000 by the Hawaii Children's Trust Fund, the second installment of a $100,000 grant for 2004 and 2005 for the Hawaii Coalition for Dads. This coalition provides information about services to fathers and promotes nurturing, responsible fatherhood.

PACT also received $24,000 from American Savings Bank to fund the Individual Development Accounts savings accounts for low-income participants.

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Police, Fire, Courts



By Star-Bulletin staff

EAST OAHU

Honolulu woman faces 11 forgery counts

A 26-year-old Honolulu woman was charged yesterday with 11 counts of second-degree forgery after she allegedly forged a number of business checks belonging to her former employee.

The 64-year-old employer, who owns a Hawaii Kai business, reported to police on April 5 that a number of forged checks on his business account were cashed without his authorization, police said.

Police investigated, and the suspect, Kerri-Lee Park, was arrested Thursday and charged yesterday. Bail was set at $50,000.

LEEWARD OAHU

3 suspects sought in kidnapping, assault

Police are looking for three men in their 20s who are suspected of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a woman at the Pearl Kai Shopping Center in Aiea on July 7.

The first suspect, a 6-foot-tall man whose spiked black hair has a 6- to 8-inch tail, followed the woman after she got off a bus at about 5:45 p.m. at the shopping center, according to police.

The suspect weighs about 140 pounds, has brown eyes, wore a stud earring on his right ear, a red T-shirt with a white wave design on the bottom left, blue jeans and white shoes.

Police said the woman was pushed into a faded red four-door vehicle parked in the shopping center parking lot with two other men inside.

The second suspect in the vehicle was about 5 feet 8 to 5 feet 10 inches tall, 240 pounds, with black wavy shoulder-length hair, brown eyes, a stubby mustache, a scar on his upper right lip, and he wore a white T-shirt, gray walking shorts and black slippers.

The third suspect, who was the driver, is between 5 feet 6 inches and 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighs 160 to 180 pounds, with a light beard and black sideburns wearing a black bandanna, white long-sleeved T-shirt, baggy denim jeans and white "Lugs" boots.

Police said he drove to Waikiki where the three men allegedly sexually assaulted the woman, releasing her the following day at about 11 p.m. in the Ala Moana area.

Anyone with information is asked to call CrimeStoppers at 955-8300 or *CRIME on a cell phone.

HONOLULU

FL MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM HECO employees worked on a broken pole on Olokele Street near an intersection with Date Street yesterday. According to police, the pole snapped when it was hit by a private garbage truck.

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Garbage truck snaps Kapahulu power line

A rubbish truck snagged a power line in Kapahulu, causing a utility pole to snap yesterday afternoon.

The 1:39 p.m. accident at the intersection of Olokele Avenue and Date Street knocked out power to nearly 2,000 customers, a Hawaiian Electric Co. spokeswoman said.

Initially, 1,900 customers lost power, but it was restored to 1,400 within a half-hour, said HECO spokeswoman Lynn Unemori.

HECO restored power to 320 customers at 3:42 p.m. Crews continued work on repairing the utility pole and were expected to have restored power to the remaining 180 customers last night, she said.

Inmate breaks bones jumping from prison

A 52-year-old inmate suffered broken bones yesterday after jumping from the second tier of Module 4B at Halawa Correctional Facility.

Public safety spokesman Mike Gaede said Norman Watanabe was taken in serious condition with multiple fractures to Kapiolani Medical Center at Pali Momi. Watanabe is serving a five-year term for third-degree promotion of dangerous drugs, Gaede said.

CENTRAL OAHU

Police arrest man, 24, in alleged sex assault

Police arrested a 24-year-old Wahiawa man for the alleged sexual assault of a 20-year-old woman.

The alleged incident occurred between 8:30 and 10:30 p.m. Wednesday, police said.

The suspect was arrested Thursday at the main police station on Beretania Street for investigation of two counts of first-degree sexual assault, third-degree sexual assault and kidnapping. No other information about the case was available.