Neighbor Island briefs

Advertiser Staff and News Services

BIG ISLAND

Hilo girl named to Junior Shrine Club

Whitney Kanehailua becomes the first member of a new Hilo club.

Whitney Kanehailua was presented with a framed certificate and a maile lei by Daniel Rickenbacher, Hawai'i Island Shrine Club president. He conceived and designed the program with others in Hilo, with the approval of state and national Shrine leaders.

Whitney, who was born with a seizure disorder and is developmentally disabled, is the second of four children of police officer Marshall Kanehailua and wife Esther.

MAUI

Sex assault suspect charged in break-in

WAILUKU, Maui — A 31-year-old man who is a suspect in three recent sexual assaults made an initial appearance yesterday in Wailuku District Court on a second-degree burglary charge for a break-in at the Kamehameha Schools Maui Campus.

A preliminary hearing for Rodney Lanoza of Wailuku and his co-defendant in the burglary, Jason Tomita, 40, will be held today. Both men are confined at the Maui Community Correctional Center.

An alarm at 3 a.m. Monday alerted police to a break-in at the Kamehameha Schools campus in Pukalani. Tomita was arrested on the scene and, a few hours later, Lanoza was pulled over in a stolen 1992 red Honda Civic, said prosecutor John Tam.

Detectives connected Lanoza to the school break-in, and then charged him with burglary, kidnapping and sexual assault for the three attacks that occurred earlier in the month. Those charges were dropped yesterday while police continue their investigation, Tam said.

The assaults took place between May 11 and 19 at homes in Wailuku, Kahului and Spreckelsville.

KAUA'I

Owner of 3 pit bulls sought in attack

LIHU'E, Kaua'i — Police are offering a $1,000 reward for help in identifying the owner of three pit bulls that attacked a horse and rider at Princeville last Friday.

Two of the dogs were black and one was brown. They wore collars.

Police said the owner was described as a male of medium build, about 5 feet, 8 inches tall with crew-cut brown hair and a moustache. Call Crimestoppers at (808) 241-6787.

Term set for driver who killed officer

The Hawai'i Paroling Authority has set an eight-year minimum term for the driver who killed a Maui police officer directing traffic at a road construction site nearly two years ago.

Ricardo Rodriguez-Pantoja, 26, was sentenced in October to a 10-year term after pleading no-contest to first-degree negligent homicide, an accident involving death and serious bodily injury, and driving without a license or auto insurance.

Police officer Gene "Chase" Williams, 38, was working an off-duty assignment at a Honoapi'ilani Highway job site shortly before 3 a.m. Aug. 9, 1999, when Rodriguez-Pantoja's pickup truck slammed into a sedan the officer had brought to a stop. The sedan vaulted into the air and burst into flames, landing on Williams, who was killed instantly.

Rodriguez-Pantoja's blood-alcohol level was .142 percent, well above the legal standard of .08.

Blood bank to take donations on Kaua'i

LIHU'E, Kaua'i — The Blood Bank of Hawai'i will be on Kaua'i June 19-22 to accept blood donations.

The bank will be at the Hyatt Regency Kaua'i's Kaua'i Ballroom from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. June 19; at Wilcox Hospital's conference rooms A, B and C from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. June 20 and 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. June 21; and at the West Kaua'i Medical Center's KVMH Medical Office Building conference rooms A and B from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. June 22.

For an appointment or more information call (800) 372-9966.