3 Kihei beaches closed after a shark is sighted

Maui lifeguards closed three beaches in Kihei for about 3 1/2 hours yesterday after a 10- to 12-foot shark was seen in the area about 10:30 a.m., a Maui County news release said.

State land department employees and lifeguards monitored Kamaole I, II and III beach parks and reopened the beaches about 2 p.m.

Lifeguards said two dolphins were in the area, including a calf, and the animals may have attracted the shark.

Woman who drowned snorkeling identified

A 70-year-old woman who drowned off a Kauai beach on Thursday has been identified as Kathleen Stewart of Manti, Utah.

County authorities say Stewart was snorkeling with her 73-year-old husband, Thell Stewart, near Anini Beach when they were caught in a riptide.

Authorities say the husband told his wife to hold onto a channel marker about 75 feet from shore while he went for help. A bystander swam out to assist the woman, but found her face down in the water.

Sexual assault of girl, 4, is being investigated

Police are investigating an alleged sexual assault of a 4-year-old girl Friday at a Kapahulu restaurant.

The girl told her mother that a 38-year-old family member sexually assaulted her while they were in the restaurant's restroom between 5:30 and 6 p.m., police said. The man was not arrested pending the investigation.

Honolulu man, 47, victim in Kahuku crash

The Medical Examiner's Office identified the 47-year-old man who died in a one-car crash in Kahuku Dec. 3 as Steven Ruiz of Honolulu.

Ruiz was driving a 1996 Nissan Pathfinder at 4:54 a.m. when it veered off the road and crashed into a large ironwood tree on Kamehameha Highway a quarter-mile north of Pualalea Street, police said.

Man struck by SUV in critical condition

A 58-year-old Kailua man was taken to the Queen's Medical Center in critical condition Thursday night after he was struck by a sport utility vehicle.

Police said the man was crossing Kihapai Street at about 7:45 p.m. near Wailepo Street in Kailua when he was struck by a 1995 Ford Explorer driven by a 32-year-old Kailua man. Police said speed and alcohol were not factors.