---

Staged car theft nets man 5-year jail term

A man who helped stage the theft of a car after stripping it of parts and later made a false claim with the insurance company was sentenced yesterday to five years in prison.

Circuit Judge Michael Wilson also ordered Ming Wei Chen on July 13 to serve a mandatory minimum sentence of one year and eight months as a repeat offender.

Chen allegedly replaced the stripped items with the original parts, with Geico paying for the alleged replacement parts.

Wilson also sentenced Chen to a concurrent second five-year term for tampering with a car odometer and misrepresenting the mileage to the buyer in a separate case. He was ordered to pay $2,000 restitution to that victim.

OHA gives $140,000 for next Hokulea trip

The Polynesian Voyaging Society has received $140,000 from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs for the voyaging canoe Hokulea's next voyage to Japan and Micronesia between January and July.

The voyage has two goals: Sailing to Japan celebrates the integration of diverse cultures, while sailing to Micronesia pays tribute to Mau Piailug, who helped revive traditional voyaging practices.

"The 8,000-mile voyage will also be an opportunity for deep-sea navigational teaching and training and building leadership capacity for voyaging associations across the Pacific," said Nainoa Thompson, Polynesian Voyaging Society president and Hokulea navigator.

---

Police, Fire, Courts



By Star-Bulletin staff

LEEWARD OAHU

Toxic smoke from scrap yard fire blows offshore

Heavy smoke from a fire in a scrap yard in the Pearl City Industrial Park slowed traffic on the H-1 freeway during yesterday's afternoon rush hour.

Fire crews responding to the blaze at 4:30 p.m. near Lehua Elementary School said their primary concern was the smoke emitted from the fire because the vehicles engulfed in flames were made from composite materials that release many toxic fumes when they burn.

"Fortunately, the prevailing winds blew most of the smoke offshore," the Honolulu Fire Department's Capt. Emmit Kane said.

He said the scrap yard was pretty isolated, so the fire didn't threaten any structures. He also said there were no reports of injuries or anyone suffering from respiratory ailments.

Police were forced to close a portion of Lehua Avenue for several hours while about 50 firefighters battled the fire. They had the blaze under control about 7 p.m.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Kane said the fire originated near or under the pile of cars and employees said they heard several juvenile voices whispering and laughing a few minutes prior to the fire.

2 teens arrested for Kapolei park assaults

Two teenage boys were arrested for two separate assault cases at Kapolei Regional Park last month.

The first incident took place about 8 p.m. June 1 and involved a 13-year-old male victim. Police said the victim and a friend were confronted by several other males at the park, one of whom accused him of talking about him behind his back. The suspect punched the victim in the head and both began fighting. Police said during the fight four other males jumped in and began hitting the victim. One of the attackers unclipped a waist pouch or fanny pack from the victim, police said.

The second incident took place June 29. Two teenage suspects approached the victim, a 16-year-old boy, and asked him for money, police said. When the victim denied having any money one of the suspects punched him in the back of the head, police said. The victim said he could not remember what happened next and ended up being taken to the hospital to be treated for a broken nose.

On Monday, police arrested two boys for both cases, ages 14 and 15. The 14-year-old was later released. Police charged the 15-year-old with second-degree robbery.

WINDWARD OAHU

Van critically injures woman in Ahuimanu

A 30-year-old Waialua woman was critically injured Sunday when she was struck by a van on Kahekili Highway in Ahuimanu.

Police said a white 1987 Chevy Astro van was Kahuku-bound on Kahekili near Ahuimanu Place at about 11:06 p.m. when the victim was hit.

Police said the driver of the van, a 38-year-old Kaneohe woman, was watching a dark pickup truck heading in the opposite direction in her rear view mirror after the truck had made a U-turn right in front of her.

That's when the van hit something, the driver told police. When she stopped and checked, she found the victim lying on the roadway, police said.

The victim was taken to the Queen's Medical Center in critical condition.

Police said speed may have been a factor in the crash.

HONOLULU

7-month-old's injuries thought suspicious

Police have opened an investigation of first-degree assault of a 7-month-old boy who emergency room officials said suffers from "severe brain injury that appears to be suspicious in nature."

Police have not identified any suspects.

They said the boy was admitted to Kapiolani Medical Center for Women and Children early Monday evening with a head injury.

Kalihi man arrested over property damage

Police arrested a 48-year-old Kalihi man after he allegedly threw a rock at his wife while she was driving a car with their children inside.

The incident occurred at 5:50 p.m. Monday near Dement and School streets. The victim, 40, told police she was trying to get away from her husband when he threw a rock at the car, shattering a window. Police said the wife and her 9-month-old daughter were treated for cuts from the shattered glass. A 13-year-old daughter who was in the vehicle was not injured. Police arrested the suspect for investigation of first-degree criminal property damage.