Police Beat
Advertiser Staff
Kaua'i police name body found Aug. 1
LIHU'E, Kaua'i — Police yesterday identified a body found Aug. 1 near Nomilu Pond as that of Lisa Simao, 38, who had been reported missing several days earlier.
Simao, originally from Kalaheo, had been camping in the area with a friend. Her body was found fully clothed, lying in a grassy area. Police have made no statement about whether they found signs of foul play.
Authorities used dental records to identify the body. No cause of death could be determined at the autopsy because of the body's advanced state of decomposition. Tissue samples have been sent to the Mainland for testing.
Man, 55, slashed at Gateway Park
Police are looking for a man in the slashing of a 55-year-old man Tuesday night at Gateway Park downtown.
Patrol officers were called about 6:45 p.m. when, after an argument, a man slashed the victim in the upper left abdomen. Police said the weapon used is unknown.
The assailant fled, but two witnesses told police they can identify him.
The victim was taken to The Queen's Medical Center in critical condition. He later was upgraded to guarded.
Fire in Pearl City leaves six homeless
A family of six was left homeless after a fire damaged their Pearl City home early yesterday.
Firefighters were called at 6:34 a.m. to a four-bedroom house at 1009 Luehu St., in a subdivision between the Pearl City library and police station.
Investigators yesterday were studying the cause of the fire, which reportedly began on a dresser in a downstairs bedroom shared by a husband and wife, 49 and 41, and their son, 6. Their 14-year-old daughter also lives in the house, as well as the wife's father, 70, and another 49-year-old woman.
The wife's father, homeowner Ignacio Sibayan, said the home is insured. Three other tenants who usually live in the home have been away in the Philippines, Sibayan said.
Damage was estimated at $75,000 to the structure and $25,000 to the contents, said Ho-nolulu fire Capt. Richard Soo. Thirty firefighters were called to the blaze, which was under control at 6:49 a.m.
The Red Cross is assisting the family with vouchers for clothing and temporary shelter, Soo said.
Cop impersonator threatened group
Police said they arrested a 41-year-old man Tuesday night in Lualualei after he claimed to be a law-enforcement officer pursuing someone and then tried to run down a resident who refused to cooperate with him.
The man went to a house on Lualualei Homestead Road about 5:30 p.m. and told residents he was looking for someone.
Witnesses told police the suspect became angry when they refused to say where the person was. The man returned to his car. The victim, 39, said when he tried to note the license number, the man drove the car toward him, but he jumped out of the way.
Police arrested the man on suspicion of attempted murder, impersonating a law-enforcement officer and second-degree criminal trespass.
Bail set for pair charged in thefts
Two men appeared Tuesday at a preliminary hearing on charges connected with a rash of Kailua, Kona burglaries and auto break-ins.
Police charged Jimli Vergara, 24, of Kailua, on drug, theft and burglary charges. Bail was set at $52,000.
Also charged was Onofre Rabang, 31, also of Kailua, on theft and burglary charges. His bail was $22,500.
The men were arrested in a police stakeout at 1:45 a.m. Friday in the Nani Ohai subdivision off Hualalai Road after officers heard a report of a break-in.
Officers said they found a car believed to belong to the suspects and, two hours later, spotted them walking south on Hienaloli Road. The men were arrested, and items from other thefts were recovered, including credit and ID cards.
Man, girl charged in Kailua incident
A man and a 13-year-old girl have been charged in a case of terroristic threatening and reckless driving that targeted a 31-year-old woman in Kailua Tuesday night.
Police were called after 7 p.m. to 318 Hualani St., where the victim had been standing near her car in front of the house. The suspects — 21-year-old Casey Judd, in the driver's seat, and a teenage girl police declined to identify — allegedly occupied a car parked behind the victim's car.
Police said that the girl urged the man to hurt the woman, and Judd raced toward her and passed within three feet of her.
Judd was arraigned yesterday on a reckless driving charge, and the girl has been charged with second-degree terroristic threatening.
Police hunt man in purse-snatching
Police yesterday asked for the public's help in identifying a man who robbed a 34-year-old woman of her purse and injured her near Ala Moana in June.
Police said the purse snatching occurred on June 26 fronting 726 Sheridan St. when the robber approached the woman from behind and grabbed her purse at 8:30 p.m.
The man was 30 to 40 years old, 6 feet, 240 pounds with a heavy build. He had black curly hair with a pony tail, a brown complexion and black-colored eyes. He wore a black T-shirt, gray shorts and slippers.
Anyone with information should call Detective Eric Yiu at 529-3436, CrimeStoppers at 955-8300 or *CRIME on a cellular phone.
