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Newswatch
Star-Bulletin staff
and wire service
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Donations accepted for policeman's family
An account has been set up to help support the four children of Honolulu police officer Steve Favela, who died Sunday after a motorcycle crash while leading President Bush's motorcade Nov. 21.
Favela, an eight-year veteran of the Honolulu Police Department, spent two years with the solo bike detail. He also served as a reservist for the Coast Guard's Marine Safety and Security Team 91107. The team was created to provide additional security for Hawaii's ports following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Favela was a member of the anti-terrorism unit since it was being formed in October 2003. The team was commissioned in December 2004.
Favela was recently promoted to port securityman first class, said Coast Guard spokeswoman Chief Petty Officer Marsha Delaney.
Favela and his wife, Barbara, have a daughter, age 5, and three sons, ages 3 months, 2 and 7.
Contributions for Favela's children may be dropped off at any branch of the First Hawaiian Bank. Checks can be made out to: "Friends of Steve Favela." Services for Favela are pending.
Trash service takes a holiday
The city is reminding residents whose trash pickup is on Mondays and Thursdays that there will be no collections on Christmas Day and New Year's Day, both Mondays. Residents are being asked to be extra careful in managing their household waste and urged to double-bag their food waste to keep odors down. Collection centers in Ewa, Laie, Wahiawa, Waimanalo and Waipahu will be open on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve.
23 public schools benefit from grants
Twenty-three public schools will share $743,900 in grants awarded by Hawaii's 3R's program.
The money will be used to paint a kitchen and a gymnasium, replace light fixtures and playground equipment, recoat play-court surfaces and repair sidewalks, among other projects.
Since its start more than four years ago, the 3R's program has awarded Hawaii public schools $7.4 million for repair and maintenance.
THE GOOD NEIGHBOR FUND
Monetary gifts may be sent to:
Honolulu Star-Bulletin's
Good Neighbor Fund
c/o Helping Hands Hawaii
P.O. Box 17780
Honolulu, Hawaii 96817-0780
Clothing, household items and gifts can be donated at the Community Clearinghouse, 2100 Nimitz Highway.
You may also participate in the Adopt-A-Family program, in which businesses, employee groups, social clubs, families or individuals can help a specific family.
Call 440-3804 for information about the program or to arrange for pickup of large items.
SHINING STARS
Lawyers' group honors Lee for diversity
The
American Bar Association Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Profession honored
Paul Lee of the Goodwin Procter law firm with its "Spirit of Excellence Award." He was nominated by the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association for his long-standing work in promoting diversity at his company, in his community and on a national level.
Planters Professional Landscape won a national safety award from the Professional Landcare network. The company won the bronze award for No Vehicle Accidents, No Days Away from Work and Overall Achievement Award.
The Honolulu company has been doing business for the past 25 years.
The consul general of Japan in Honolulu awarded the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays, to Thomas Hirano, honorary consul general of Japan in Hilo; and to Benjamin Fukumoto, former chairman of the board of the Honolulu Japanese Chamber of Commerce, and immediate past president of the United Japanese Society of Hawaii.
Hirano also served as president of the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Hawaii, and the Hawaii Island Japanese Community Association.
"Shining Stars" runs Monday through Thursday.
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Police, Fire, Courts
Star-Bulletin staff
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Florida man is indicted in online sex case
An Oahu grand jury indicted a 33-year-old Florida man who flew here earlier this month to allegedly have sex with a 15-year-old girl he met in an online chat room.
Anthony Scott Waterman was indicted yesterday on six counts of felony sex assault and seven counts of misdemeanor sex assault that allegedly occurred on Nov. 15 and 19.
Waterman apparently flew to Hawaii on Nov. 12 to meet the girl and spent about a week with her before taking her to a hotel where they had sex, prosecutors said. The girl reported the incident to her parents that day and police were called.
Waterman has been arrested 11 previous times in other jurisdictions. This is his first arrest in Hawaii.
Circuit Judge Derrick Chan confirmed bail for Waterman at $250,000.
If convicted, Waterman faces at least a year in jail under new penalties established for defendants who use the Internet to entice minors to meet for sex.
Ammonia smell clears Coke plant
The smell of ammonia in the Coca-Cola Bottling Co. led to the evacuation of workers in the Mapunapuna building yesterday afternoon, according to Capt. Kenison Tejada, a spokesman for the Honolulu Fire Department.
The Fire Department was called about 3:35 p.m., Tejada said. Up to 150 people work at the plant, he said. When firefighters arrived, no ammonia was detected and people were let back into the building by 4:20 p.m.
A building engineer told firefighters the ammonia apparently came out of a vent on the roof and might have been drawn into the air conditioning system.
The Department of Health's Hazard Evaluation and Emergency Response team continued the investigation into the incident, Tejada said.
HONOLULU
Police seek man who broke protective order
Honolulu police are asking for the public's help in locating a man wanted for eight violations of a protective order and for breaking into his ex-girlfriend's home.
Gregory Johannsen is 57 years old and 5 feet 8 inches tall, and weighs 170 pounds. He is also known as Gregory Hendricks. Johannsen has felony convictions on Maui in 1985 for burglary and theft.
In addition to the eight violations, four more are pending, said Kim Buffett, CrimeStoppers coordinator.
Buffett said Johannsen has been constantly calling his ex-girlfriend at her home and workplace since she asked him to leave her home and obtained a restraining order against him in April. On Oct. 26 Johannsen broke into his ex-girlfriend's home and waited for her to return, she said.
"We're trying to prevent anything further from happening," she said.
Johannsen had been living with his now ex-girlfriend for 15 years when she asked him to leave, Buffett said. At the time, he was unemployed and is believed to be homeless, she said.
NEIGHBOR ISLANDS
Motorcyclist had no helmet in fatal crash
A 52-year-old Big Island man who died Sunday in a motorcycle crash in Kailua-Kona has been identified by police as Mark A. Bucholz of Holualoa.
Police said Bucholz was traveling east on Walua Road near Lunapule Road shortly after 7 p.m. when he lost control of the 2007 Harley-Davidson motorcycle he was riding, crossed the centerline and struck an embankment. He was not wearing a helmet, police said Monday.
Bucholz was taken to Kona Community Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 11:17 p.m. Police said they believe speed and alcohol contributed to the crash.
This was the 32nd traffic fatality on the Big Island this year, compared with 32 at this time last year, according to police.
Maui blaze causes $200,000 in damage
WAILUKU » Fire officials were investigating the cause of a blaze that caused $200,000 in damage to a three-bedroom house and its contents in west Maui.
Firefighters took about 18 minutes to extinguish the blaze after the alarm at 11:35 a.m. yesterday at 63 Kahili Place in Lahaina.
Reward offered for missing instruments
Big Island police are asking for the public's help in finding two guitars and a mandolin stolen from a home in Waipunalei.
The items have been identified as a Dobro steel guitar with a blue face, a Gypsy jazz guitar and a mandolin. They were taken sometime between Nov. 13 and 21.
The owner is offering a reward with no questions asked for the return of the instruments.
Police ask anyone with information about the stolen items to call officer Mike DeCoito of the North Hilo district at 962-2120 or the Police Department's nonemergency number at 935-3311. Those who prefer to remain anonymous may call Crime Stoppers at 961-8300 in Hilo or 329-8181 in Kona.
EAST OAHU
Drowning victim ID'd as Wahiawa man, 49
The city Department of the Medical Examiner identified the man who died Sunday after he ran into trouble while swimming near Bellows Beach.
He is 49-year-old Alvin Wilkes of Wahiawa. Wilkes was taken to Castle Medical Center in critical condition where he later died. The medical examiner determined that Wilkes had drowned.
4 arrested in thefts from cars at lookouts
Police arrested two men and two women for allegedly stealing items from two cars parked at an East Oahu lookout Monday afternoon.
A group of four adults told police that when they returned to their parked cars at the outlook, they discovered the cars had been broken into. Shortly afterward, officers at another lookout nearby observed four people acting suspiciously, according to a police report.
The officers investigated and learned that cars at the other lookout had items taken from them.
The victims were brought to the second lookout, where they identified their belongings in the suspects' car.
The suspects -- two men, ages 18 and 40, and two women, ages 43 and 18 -- were arrested for suspicion of unauthorized entry into a motor vehicle, second-degree theft and unauthorized possession of confidential information.
WEST OAHU
Man allegedly bought car with forged check
A 40-year-old man who allegedly bought a used car with a bogus money order was arrested Monday night in Pearl City.
Police said that in October, a 36-year-old man sold a car to the suspect who used a money order that was later determined to be a forgery.
The seller spotted the buyer Monday night in Pearl City and called police, who arrested the suspect for second-degree theft and second-degree forgery.
