Recent rapes put
Maui on edge

Police are not sure if three
attacks on elderly women
this summer are related

KIHEI, Maui » On Kenolio Road in South Maui, some residents are locking their windows for the first time and running the air conditioner because of the rape of an 83-year-old woman in her Kihei house -- the third attack on an elderly woman this summer.

"It's scary. We're watching a little more carefully," said Elvin Kamoku, a Kihei resident.

Kamoku, a firefighter, said the sexual assault is a "big concern" for his family and tenants in a quiet neighborhood usually low on criminal activity.

Kenolio Road, located less than a half-mile from the beach, has a combination of new and old residences, including townhouses and single-family dwellings built more than 20 years ago.

Maui police Lt. Glenn Cuomo said yesterday detectives have not ruled out a connection among the three rapes, although there is no indication at this time the assailant is the same man.

Cuomo declined to comment on whether police were able to retrieve DNA samples in the three cases, but did say detectives are consulting with various agencies for assistance.

The 83-year-old woman said she was raped at about 1:30 p.m. Wednesday in her single-family house.

Police said the man entered through an unlocked window and also took items, including cash.

The rape in Kihei took place about 10 miles from two other rapes of elderly women in Kahului.

The first sexual assault involved an 87-year-old woman who was raped in the bedroom of her house at 3 a.m. on May 30 within a radius of 1.5 miles from Hina and Wakea avenues in Kahului.

Cuomo said the man broke a window to enter the house and took her handbag containing cash and other items.

The second rape occurred between 5:30 and 5:45 a.m. on June 14 near Hina and Wakea avenues.

A 78-year-old woman was walking outside the senior assistance housing Hale Mahaolu when a man pulled her into a brush area, police said.

Kihei resident Sarah Wolf, who lives close to Kenolio Road, said she still feels the neighborhood is safe, but she rarely takes walks at night.

Kamoku said his family and other neighborhood residents used to shut off the air conditioner and open the windows at night to let the house breathe.

"Now we lock the windows at night. We make sure we lock the doors," he said.