Man charged in Big Isle assault

Big Island authorities charged a 29-year-old Mexican national living in Kailua-Kona yesterday with the assault last month of a 21-year-old Kailua-Kona man.

Police said Saul Villamil-Roque allegedly confronted the 21-year-old man in the King Kamehameha Center parking lot in Kailua-Kona Feb. 12 and assaulted him. The younger man, who received multiple lacerations, was treated for his injuries and released, police said. Detectives located Villamil-Roque Wednesday morning and charged him yesterday with second-degree assault. He is being held in lieu of $10,000 bail.

Japanese visitor injured in fall

A Japanese visitor in her 60s was critically injured yesterday morning after falling some 30 feet during a hike near Manoa Falls.

Fire Capt. Terry Seelig said the woman was with a group on a return hike from the waterfall when she slipped and fell off the trail to the stream below. The woman suffered critical injuries, said Emergency Services Department spokesman Bryan Cheplic.

The Fire Department got a call at 11:45 a.m. When fire rescue personnel got to her at about 12:15 p.m., the woman was unresponsive. They brought her up from the stream, and she was airlifted to Manoa District Park at 12:40 p.m. Seelig said the helicopter operation was challenging due to strong, gusty wind conditions.