A state jury found former Maui beauty queen Lisa-Katharine Otsuka not guilty yesterday of theft and forgery.

She was accused of cashing checks her former employer gave her to pay company bills in 1999. The former employer is Bev Harbin, who later served briefly as a state lawmaker in a controversial appointment by Gov. Linda Lingle.

Otsuka, 40, gained prominence in 2002 when her name surfaced during an investigation into campaign fundraising activities of former Honolulu Mayor Jeremy Harris.

She believes the state prosecuted her in retaliation for refusing to testify in front of a grand jury in the Harris investigation.

    Otsuka released from charges

 

 

It came down to the difficulty of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

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“;Absolutely,”; Otsuka said. “;There was a lot that wasn't told and there was a lot that couldn't be said because of the way court proceeds.”;

The state also charged her with theft for allegedly stealing $3,035 she helped raise for a nonprofit Tahitian dance and music troupe in 2001. Otsuka went to trial for that case in 2007. The jury returned deadlocked.

Deputy Prosecutor Paul Mow said he is reviewing that case and has not made a decision whether to go back to trial in front of a new jury.

The state initiated both cases in 2002. Both took so long to go to trial because Otsuka switched lawyers four times, experienced pregnancy difficulties more than once and left the state while on bail without court permission.