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Isle pastors traveling to assist victims

Four Hawaii Calvary Chapel pastors will leave tomorrow for Mississippi to begin a commitment by Hawaii congregations to helping victims of Hurricane Katrina recover from the devastation.

Local churches have already collected money for relief operations, and members will eventually go in teams to join other congregations in rebuilding homes and churches, said the Rev. Bill Stonebraker, senior pastor of Calvary Chapel Honolulu.

Traveling with him to Jackson, Miss., will be the Revs. Bob Hallman of Calvary Chapel Kauai, Charles Couch of Calvary Chapel West Oahu and state Rep. Bud Stonebraker of South Shore Christian Fellowship. They will stay at an affiliated church and drive to coastal areas where refugees of the storm are being housed to assess what needs they might be able to help meet, Stonebraker said.

State finds 145 units for any refugees

If the federal government decides to send any Hurricane Katrina refugees to Hawaii, there are at least 145 rooms and apartments ready to house them, the state's top tourism official said yesterday.

The Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau sent an e-mail on Wednesday asking its members if they would have vacant rooms in case the Federal Emergency Management Agency seeks state help in relocating refugees. The initial goal was to find about 1,000 potential spaces -- 500 hotel rooms and 500 military housing units.

The response was between 125 and 145 units on at least three islands, said state Tourism Liaison Marsha Wienert.

"We are very pleased with the response that we received," she said, "especially when we didn't have a lot of information."

Wienert said she was impressed with the response, since the hotels and condos were not told when people would arrive or depart or how much they would be reimbursed.

"We do not anticipate being asked" to take in refugees, she said, "but as a part of us trying to be prepared, we thought we would go through this exercise."

No word on former Waikiki resident, 82

Oahu resident Bobette Finlayson Barber says she is desperately trying to get word of her 82-year-old aunt, Doris Alice Finlayson West, who lives alone in one of the worst-hit areas of Louisiana.

West was born in New Orleans and lived in Waikiki in the 1960s. She might have tried to weather the hurricane in her house in the Metairie area of New Orleans, Barber said.

"We've seen aerial shots of Metairie on TV, and it was under water," she said. "We've been trying to contact her ever since Tuesday (Aug. 30)," checking with relief agencies and evacuee Web sites, Barber said. "We fear the worst."

Anyone with information about Doris Alice Finlayson West of 3106 Lake Villa Drive, Metairie, La., is asked to contact her niece, Bobette Finlayson Barber, at bbfinnbob@aol.com or 808-782-8352.

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Thief siphons gasoline from Maui postal truck

WAILUKU » The U.S. Postal Service is investigating the siphoning of gasoline from one of its mail trucks at its Haiku facility on Maui.

Postal spokesman Duke Gonzales said the theft was discovered Thursday. Gonzales said postal workers could not recall ever having a gasoline theft in Haiku.

"It's an indication of the desperation of the times," Gonzales said.

Gonzales said the theft was being treated as a federal crime because it involved the U.S. Postal Service. "Anyone who is caught will be prosecuted," he said.

He declined to comment on how entry was made into the secured postal area.

Driver sued in 2004 death of motorcyclist

The family of a 38-year-old Pearl City motorcyclist killed last year in a hit-and-run accident has sued the driver of the car that allegedly hit her.

Kapiolani Iwanaga Aea was killed after her 2003 Honda motorcycle was struck by a car at about 4:15 a.m. July 30, 2004, on the Moanalua freeway extension near the onramp to the Kaneohe-bound H-3 freeway. The car, a Mazda four-door sedan, was driven by Heriberto Lopez Ocampo Jr.

The suit, filed last week on behalf of Aea's estate and three brothers, alleges Ocampo was speeding and driving unsafely when he allegedly struck the rear of Aea's motorcycle, knocking her to the ground. He then allegedly ran over her with his car, killing her.

Ocampo fled the scene, failing to render aid, the suit alleged.

Police found the suspect in Pearl City, parked on the side of the road, about two hours after the accident.

Helena Bautista, a 28-year-old passenger on the motorcycle, was seriously injured in the collision.

The suit alleges Ocampo "consumed substantial amounts of alcoholic beverage and was intoxicated and/or under the influence of alcohol at the time he struck Decedent Aea."

The suit is asking for an unspecified amount in damages to be proved at trial.

No charges have been filed against Ocampo, but the investigation is still open, according to Honolulu police.

Blood drives to be held around Oahu

The Blood Bank of Hawaii is holding a series of blood drives around Oahu this month.

Donors must be in good health, 18 years of age or older, weigh 110 pounds or more and provide a valid photo ID. The blood drives are scheduled for:

» Today, 7:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m., Windward Mall.

» Tomorrow, 7:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Kahala Mall.

» Monday, 8 a.m.-1 p.m., Honolulu Community College.

» Tuesday, 8 a.m.-2 p.m., Leeward Community College.

» Sept. 17, 7:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., Town Center of Mililani.

» Sept. 18, 7:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., Foodland-Ewa Town Center.

» Sept. 19, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Kapiolani Community College.

» Sept. 25, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., Waianae Mall.

For more information, call the blood bank at 845-9966 or visit www.bbh.org.

Past lakes on Mars topic of free lecture

University of Hawaii planetary scientist Karen Stockstill will discuss "Past Lakes on Mars? Evidence For and Against" in a free lecture at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 27 in Room 544, Pacific Ocean Science and Technology Building, 1680 East-West Road.

Her talk is part of the Hawaii Space Lecture Series, sponsored by the NASA Pacific Regional Planetary Data Center and the Hawaii Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, School of Ocean, Earth Science and Technology.

For more information, call 956-3132 or see www.higp.hawaii.edu/prpdc.

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Police, Fire, Courts



By Star-Bulletin staff

LEEWARD OAHU

2-car crash kills driver near Waipahu High School

A man in his 40s died last night in a two-car accident near Waipahu High School, according to police.

The man, who was the driver and sole occupant of one car, was dead at the scene, an Emergency Medical Services supervisor said.

Two persons in the other car refused treatment, the supervisor said.

Police shut down Farrington Highway in the Waianae-bound lanes and rerouted traffic onto Kahualii Street and Waipio Point Access Road while police investigated the accident.

No further details were available at press time.

HONOLULU

Homeless man nabbed in a pair of burglaries

A 36-year-old homeless man was charged with burglarizing two apartments in the Liliha area early Tuesday morning while the residents were at home.

David Gardner was charged Wednesday with two counts of first-degree burglary and drug charges. He was being held in lieu of $50,000 bail.

In the first burglary, Gardner allegedly burglarized the North School Street apartment of a 74-year-old woman about 6 a.m.

The woman heard a noise from her balcony at the rear of her apartment. When she went to check, a man emerged.

Police said the suspect blocked her efforts to get to a phone and told her not to call police.

The woman finally managed to get to the balcony and screamed for help.

The suspect then fled through the front door, police said.

The suspect then allegedly broke into a Liliha Street apartment near the corner of Vineyard Boulevard, where he broke the front window and door and went in.

The 46-year-old woman and her 16-year-old daughter ran out onto the balcony where they screamed for help.

The suspect fled without taking anything.

Police quickly arrived, found the suspect at the 1408 Liliha St. apartment and arrested him for burglary.

The arresting officer discovered Gardner had a methamphetamine pipe in his pants pocket and arrested him for narcotics offenses, police said.

EAST OAHU

Man surrenders after barricade at home

A five-hour barricade situation in Hawaii Kai ended early yesterday morning when a 46-year-old man surrendered to police.

The man had barricaded himself inside his Hawaii Kai home Thursday night after an argument with his 75-year-old father.

Upon learning the man was possibly armed and not knowing the status of two women inside the home, police summoned a SWAT team.

The SWAT team converged on the usually quiet neighborhood and waited while police negotiators attempted to talk to the man.

Meanwhile, police shut down Kekupua Street and a section of Kaumakani Street.

The man eventually talked with police negotiators and surrendered, police said.

He was arrested at 1:20 a.m. yesterday without incident on three outstanding warrants.