1 dies after crash with 4 vehicles

A 27-year-old Kona man died early yesterday in a spectacular chain-reaction crash involving four vehicles.

Police identified the man as Michael Jauss.

At 1:56 a.m., Jauss was traveling south on Alii Drive on a Honda mo-ped.

Meanwhile, a Honda sport utility vehicle driven by a 24-year-old Kailua-Kona woman was traveling north in the southbound lane and struck an oncoming Ford pickup truck as it swerved to the side.

The SUV then crashed head-on into the mo-ped and dragged it and Jauss 20 yards before crashing head-on into a 1994 Mazda pickup driven by a 26-year-old Kailua-Kona man.

Jauss was pronounced dead at 5:45 a.m. at Kona Community Hospital.

The 24-year-old driver of the SUV, Shanelle Castaneda Acantilado, who was unhurt, was arrested on suspicion of first-degree negligent homicide and driving under the influence.

The driver of the Mazda pickup, Anthony B. Smith, also was arrested on suspicion of first-degree negligent homicide, driving under the influence and promoting a detrimental drug. He was treated for minor injuries and released at Kona Community Hospital.

Both drivers were released pending further investigation. Four people in the Ford pickup were unhurt.

Any witnesses are asked to call Officer Thomas Koyanagi at 326-4646, ext. 229; the department's nonemergency line at 935-3311; or CrimeStoppers at 961-8300 in Hilo or 329-8181 in Kona.

Underreporting '06 tax return, failure to file others has man facing 12 years

A 55-year-old Oahu man faces up to 12 years in prison after pleading no contest to underreporting his 2006 taxable income and several counts of not filing a return, an attorney general's news release said.

Rodney D. Villanueva pleaded no contest Thursday to one count of false and fraudulent statements, a Class C felony punishable by up to three years in prison or up to a $100,000 fine. Villanueva also pleaded no contest to nine counts of willful failure to file a return for failing to file gen-eral excise and individual tax returns for the years 2002 through 2006.

Willful failure to file a return is a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in prison or a fine of up to $25,000. Villanueva owes $14,636 in taxes.

He will be sentenced Jan. 26.

Wildfire cuts off Maui telephones

A 5-acre brush fire closed Honoapiilani Highway near Maalaea yesterday and disrupted telephone service on West Maui for several hours.

Twenty firefighters, two helicopters and four water tankers battled the fire in rocky terrain near Maalaea Harbor after it started at about 11:30 a.m., said Ma-hina Martin, Maui County spokeswoman. Both lanes were open by 2 p.m.

Some telephone lines and cell phone service in West Maui were cut when the fire damaged some Hawaiian TelCom equipment.

Firefighters had the fire under control by 2:36 p.m., and phone service was restored by 4:45 p.m., Martin said. No one was injured.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Robber of KFC remains at large

Police are looking for a gunman who robbed a Kaneohe KFC Saturday.

The masked suspect entered the Windward City Shopping Center restaurant at about 8:40 p.m., brandishing a black handgun, and instructed the manager to open the safe, police said.

He fled with an undisclosed amount of money.

Police described the suspect as a local man as in his 20s with wavy hair, about 5 feet 6 inches tall and 140 pounds. He wore a blue shirt and blue jeans and covered his face with a bandanna.

Third suspect caught in holdup

Police charged a third man over the weekend in connection with the robbery last month of a Pensacola Street women's clothing store.

Jeffrey Stringert, who is homeless, was charged with two counts of second-degree robbery, two counts of kidnapping and two warrants. He was held on $25,000 bail.

Stringert entered La Parisienne on Oct. 21 with a second suspect, Grant Onogi, and taped up the 71-year-old woman who owns the store, police said. According to court documents, Onogi punched a 70-year-old woman who was visiting the store and took her Rolex watch and 1.5-carat diamond ring.

Both men fled and met with Lance Nakada, police said. Onogi, 46, and Nakada, 39, were charged in connection with the case with last month. Stringert was ar- rested at 1:35 p.m. Friday on Makaloa Street.

Police arrest man after ankle injury

Police arrested a 57-year-old man yesterday on suspicion of attempted second-degree murder in Kaimuki.

He punched a 59-year-old man, who fell and broke his ankle, then tried to stab a 37-year-old man with a knife about 6 a.m., police said.

NEIGHBOR ISLANDS

Girl, 7, dies of Halloween ride injuries

A 7-year-old girl died Halloween night from injuries she sustained in a hayride during an annual church function in Kau, Big Island.

Police identified her as Emily Midgley of Hawaiian Ocean View Estates.

At about 7:08 p.m. Saturday, police said a 48-year-old Hawaiian Ocean View Estates man was operating a 1998 Dodge pickup truck with a trailer hitched to the truck. A number of passengers including Midgley were on the hayride.

As the vehicle was coming to a stop at the end of the hayride in the parking lot of the Ocean View Evangelical Community Church, the child jumped off and was run over by the trailer, police said.

She was trans- ported to Kona Community Hospital, where she was pronounced dead at 8:15 p.m.

An autopsy is to be performed to determine the exact cause of Midgley's death.

Police have opened a negligent-homicide investigation.