Police/Court briefs
Advertiser Staff
Copies allowed for police-case papers
The lawyer for one of two high-ranking Honolulu Police Department officers accused of diverting money for prisoners' meals to buy higher quality food for themselves and friends may make a copy of the documents the prosecution has provided him and give it to his client, Circuit Judge Richard Perkins ruled yesterday.
City Deputy Prosecutor Randal Lee had sought a protective order that would have prevented attorney Darwin Ching from copying 3,367 pages of documents and turning the material over to police Maj. Jeffrey Owens.
Owens, 50, and Assistant Police Chief Rafael Fajardo Jr., 59, were indicted by the Oahu grand jury Aug. 23 on felony theft charges.
Ching said Owens wanted a copy of the documents so that Owens could could review them at home to prepare for his defense.
Perkins denied Lee's request to keep Ching from giving Owens a copy of the documents, but he warned Ching and Owens not to give copies to anyone else.
Perkins also granted a request to postpone the start of Owens' trial from Oct. 29 to March 11.
Grand jury adds to robbery charges
As expected, two accused bank robbers who last month passed up a plea agreement with federal prosecutors in hopes they might face prison terms of less than 20 years were indicted on additional charges yesterday by a federal grand jury and now could face life in prison, if convicted .
Against the advice of their lawyers, Sean Matsunaga, 21, and Jacob Hayme, 24, on Aug. 31 rejected a negotiated plea agreement that called for them to serve sentences of about 20 years for their alleged roles in the July 29 armed takeover and robbery of the Kahala branch of American Savings Bank, which involved two other men as well.
Yesterday a federal grand jury indicted the pair on beefed-up charges, including use of a fully automatic weapon during a bank robbery.
Man charged in threat to girlfriend
Authorities have charged a man with threatening his girlfriend with a knife Monday morning in Waikiki.
Anthony Regan, 24, was charged with first-degree terroristic threatening. Bail was set at $11,000.
Regan argued with his 33-year-old girlfriend at her Kuhio Avenue apartment and threatened to stab her, police said. She ran into her bedroom, locked the door and called police. Regan was arrested on the apartment lanai after he tried to kick the bedroom door open, police said.
Garbage truck blocks traffic
A garbage truck overturned on the H-1 Freeway yesterday in 'Aiea, clogging eastbound rush-hour traffic for miles.
The accident happened around 3:44 a.m. near the Ka'amilo Street Overpass, police said.
Police closed the right and shoulder lanes, and traffic backed up past Waipahu. The Zipper Lane later was opened to all traffic.
Bank robbery suspect charged
A 39-year-old man was charged yesterday in connection with the Monday robbery of the Kaimuki branch of Territorial Savings.
Tim Kornegay was charged in federal court with one count of bank robbery. He is accused of robbing the 12th Avenue bank branch Monday afternoon.
Kornegay was arrested Tuesday after CrimeStoppers on O'ahu and Maui received several tips about the robbery.
