Newswatch

By Star-Bulletin Staff

Tuesday, July 22, 1997

Teen driver to escape adult trial

The teen driver arrested for manslaughter in the death of one of nine passengers in her vehicle on Friday would be tried in Family Court, according to the city prosecutor's office.

A spokesman for the city prosecutor said the case has not yet been submitted to the office and the driver was not charged. The law provides that the prosecutor may seek, and Family Court may waive, jurisdiction in a felony case if the juvenile defendant is 16 years old or older.

Police said the 15-year-old Moiliili girl was arrested for manslaughter, a felony, instead of negligent homicide, as is customary in traffic accidents, because of the circumstances of the crash Friday night on Kealaohu Avenue. A 16-year-old boy was killed. The eight other teen-agers were treated and released from Queen's Hospital.

"The difference is recklessness as opposed to negligence," said police Maj. Gary Dias, head of the traffic division. "We suspect speed and reckless driving was involved."

Police are investigating reports that the girl was trying to balance the sports utility vehicle on two tires on a dare. The vehicle struck and severed a utility pole, then flipped over.

The girl had a valid drivers license and was the owner of the 1997 Toyota 4Runner, police said.

The victim was tentatively identified as Ross Bonilla, a Kaiser High School student.

"The sad thing is that it was totally avoidable," Dias said.

"Some people treat their cars as toys and do not give consideration that they may be endangering their lives, lives of their passengers and of other motorists and pedestrians."

Baker & Taylor official
disputes Kane's claims

An official of the North Carolina book buying company in dispute with the state library system said today that he disagrees with the charges by Librarian Bart Kane that the company has failed to live up to the terms of its five-year, $11 million contract.

Arnie Wight, Baker & Taylor senior vice president, said he sent Kane a letter that "disputes all the points" raised by the state and is awaiting an answer from the state before proceeding.

"The issues raised were not issues of default," Wight said.

"We want to see what the library's response is before commenting on all the issues," Wight said.

Kane is ready to terminate the contract today, following a campaign against the book supplier, complaining about slow deliveries, poor quality and selection and duplicate copies.

Kane met with Baker & Taylor officials July 11 and gave them 10 days to deliver 63,000 books and to improve in eight other areas.

There is still $1.4 million that hasn't been paid to Baker & Taylor in the 1997-98 fiscal year and which could be used to purchase new books.

In addition, the state did not make its final payment of $393,000 for fiscal year 1996-97.

Kamehameha teachers
without contract, still

About 300 elementary and secondary teachers at Kamehameha Schools still don't have contracts for the coming school year which begins in four weeks.

Other private schools in the islands said their contracts are issued between Feb. 1 and April 15 for the following school year.

Kamehameha Schools/Bishop Estate spokesman Kekoa Paulsen declined to comment on the situation, saying internal policy prevented him from discussing "personnel matters."

Last year, contracts were mailed to Kamehameha's nearly 300 teachers Aug. 14, less than a week before the start of school.

Classes for Kamehameha Schools' elementary schools will begin Aug. 20, while its secondary school campus on Kapalama Heights will begin Aug. 21.

Teachers are scheduled to meet today with retired Circuit Judge Patrick Yim, hired as an independent fact-finder to look into claims that Bishop Estate trustees are mismanaging the school.

FBI arrests Honolulu man
for selling cable descramblers

The Federal Bureau of Investigation today announced the arrest of a 42-year-old Honolulu man for selling illegal television cable descramblers.

John H. Schiman, FBI Honolulu special agent, said Michael Van Hohenstein was arrested by agents at his home yesterday after a criminal complaint alleged he sold the cable descramblers to undercover investigators.

Van Hohenstein is charged with one count of distributing electronic communication intercepting devices, a violation which carries a maximum five-year sentence.

He is set to appear before a federal magistrate this afternoon.

Maui opens new well
to give old wells relief

WAILUKU -- Maui County yesterday opened a new well at Waihee aimed at relieving demands on other underground sources pumping at capacity.

The new $6.3 million well, north of Waihee stream, can provide up to 1.5 million gallons a day.

The Iao source is being pumped at its sustainable yield of 20 million gallons a day.

THE COURTS

Pair admits to bringing
prostitutes to Hawaii

Andre Louis Young and Fredrick Jerome Young have pleaded guilty to various federal charges related to transportation of a minor and several Canadian aliens to Hawaii for prostitution.

Andre Louis Young pleaded guilty yesterday to two counts of transporting adult female prostitutes to Hawaii, two counts of illegally importing Canadian aliens into the United States for immoral purposes and one count of harboring and concealing an illegal alien prostitute in Hawaii.

Fredrick Jerome Young pleaded guilty to one count of transporting a minor prostitute to Hawaii from Washington state and also harboring and concealing an illegal alien prostitute here.

Steven Alm, U.S. Attorney here, said federal agencies will continue to work closely with state officials in such investigations.

They will be sentenced Nov. 3.

Woman gets probation
for tax-evasion crimes

Former Maui resident Marsha Rossee has received a six-month community confinement sentence and five years probation for violations related to tax evasion.

From 1988 through 1990, Rossee -- along with husband Scott Emmons -- is said to have diverted money from Maui Employment Services for personal use. As the company's former president/owner, Rossee and Emmons -- along with their tax preparer Clayton Sketoe -- did not report the diverted funds on their joint federal income-tax returns.

Emmons and Sketoe, who also have entered guilty pleas to conspiracy to defraud the United States, will be sentenced soon.

See expanded coverage in today's Honolulu Star-Bulletin.
See our [Info] section for subscription information.

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Police/Fire


By Star-Bulletin staff

Crews still battling Waianae blaze

Firefighters are still trying to put out a Waianae brush fire that has been burning since Sunday afternoon.

The blaze started at 12:52 p.m. in Makaha Valley, behind Makaha Valley Country Club, and burned over the Kamaileunu mountain ridge onto the Waianae side, firefighters said.

Last night, the blaze was burning out of control in an area firefighters could not reach. The fire is not close to any homes, firefighters said.

The fire department is standing by with a fire truck and a helicopter.

The Red Cross is seeking donations to provide food and drink for the approximately 100 Honolulu firefighters battling the large brush fire in Makaha. The agency is also seeking disaster relief fund donations to provide food and clothing for a 3-year-old child and her mother who were left homeless by an early morning blaze in Kaneohe.

Donations can be made payable to the American Red Cross, 4155 Diamond Head Road, Honolulu, 96816.

To donate by credit card, call 739-8109.

Helicopter rotor clips man's head

LIHUE -- A Kapaa man remains in critical condition today at Queen's hospital after being struck in the head by a helicopter's main rotor at the Lihue Airport.

Thomas D. Harper Jr., 53, suffered severe head injuries at about 3:15 yesterday afternoon when strong winds and gusts created by other helicopters landing nearby caused the main rotor of an HS 350 helicopter to turn toward him.

Police said Harper, an employee of Hawaii Helicopters Inc., was walking away from the tour helicopter, which was shut down, when the accident occured. He was taken to Wilcox Hospital and then transported to Queen's.

Partially decomposed body found

HILO -- The partially decomposed body of an unidentified man was found in Hawaiian Paradise Park subdivision 13 miles southeast of Hilo yesterday, police said.

The case was classified as a coroner's inquest, meaning foul play was not immediately suspected.

Subdivision residents reported finding the body in some brush off 15th Avenue on the southern edge of the subdivision.

The body was about 80 percent decomposed, and the man may have been dead for three or four weeks, police said. An autopsy will be done.

Drowned teen identified

WAIMEA, Hawaii -- Police have identified a teen-ager who fell to his death Sunday while climbing down to a South Kohala pond as Lahikiola Sam Lindsey, 15, of Waimea.

An autopsy determined Lindsey suffered head injuries when he slipped and fell into Anna's Pond, police said.

'Wanted' ex-surf pro
nabbed in Haleiwa

Former pro-surfer Marvin Foster is back in jail, after eluding police since 1995.

Police from the Criminal Intelligence Unit and the Specialized Services Division arrested Foster late Saturday morning after staking out a home in Haleiwa where he had been staying.

Foster appeared on Oahu's 10 Most Wanted poster in August last year for skipping parole since Jan. 20, 1995. Since that time, Foster, the 1981 Rookie of the Year surfer, had also been reported as one of the participants in the Quicksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational held in December 1995.

Foster skipped parole for a weapons conviction stemming from a 1989 arrest when police found a sawed-off shotgun in his car and a fully loaded handgun with the hammer pulled back, ready to fire, said police Sgt. Margot Tang from CrimeStoppers.

The gun was also found to have been taken in a burglary, though Foster was not known to have been involved in the burglary, Tang said.

See expanded coverage in today's Honolulu Star-Bulletin.
See our [Info] section for subscription information.