Former officer had moved to Oregon for retirement
| • | Jury finds Arakawa guilty |
| • | Police praised for work on case |
| • | Ambrose was in college, had sights on career in art |
| • | What do you think of the verdict in the Clyde Arakawa case? Join our discussion |
By Scott Ishikawa
Advertiser Staff Writer
Clyde S. Arakawa was an off-duty Honolulu police officer at the time of the collision that killed 19-year-old Dana Ambrose at the intersection of Pali Highway and School Street in October 2000.
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At the time of the crash, Arakawa, a 25-year Honolulu Police Department veteran, had planned to retire. He later retired and moved to Oregon.
Clyde Arakawa was at the end of a 25-year career with the HPD when he was involved in the fatal crash in October 2000.
His driver's license was revoked for a year after the accident because he refused to take a field sobriety test.
After Ambrose's family filed a lawsuit against him for damages a month after the accident, Arakawa countersued, asking that Ambrose's insurance company pay for damage to his car stemming from the crash. After that suit was thrown out, he filed again, and again his case was dismissed. The Ambrose family's civil case is still pending.
An O'ahu grand jury returned a manslaughter indictment against Arakawa, now 50, in May of last year. He entered a not-guilty plea and posted a $75,000 in bail to return to his Oregon home.
Arakawa was taken into custody yesterday after he was found guilty of manslaughter, and Circuit Judge Karen Ahn ordered him held without bail pending his April 22 sentencing.
