Police Beat
Advertiser Staff
Firefighters battle hill brushfires
Firefighters and Army helicopter pilots are expected to return to the hills above Pearl City today to continue fighting a brushfire that has been burning since Friday.
"We'll be back to do the recon at 7:30 a.m.," said HFD Capt. Kenison Tejada.
Tejada said last night that the fire had consumed about 35 acres of ground cover and trees, and firefighters worked yesterday to push it back from the tree line.
While firefighters worked on the ground, the department's Air 1 helicopter was joined by two of the Army's UH-60 Blackhawks, which dropped water.
Tejada said the fire is burning at the end of Komo Mai Drive, near the beginning of Manana Trail, and is two miles from the closest house.
Firefighters asked that hikers stay off Manana Trail until the brush fire is completely extinguished.
Chinese man killed in crash
A 75-year-old Chinese citizen from Beijing was killed yesterday morning when the car in which he was a passenger slammed into the safety barricade of the closed zipper lane on the H-1 freeway.
The accident occurred just south of the Manager's Drive overpass in Waikele at 6:45 a.m.
There were three other people in the 1984 golden Toyota sedan, which was heading east. The driver, a 78-year-old Makakilo man, told authorities that he crossed from the left lane into the closed zipper lane after he was momentarily blinded by sunlight.
All four occupants were taken to Queen's Medical Center.
The victim, who was in the rear seat, died at 8:37 a.m. His wife, 71 — also from Beijing — had been seated next to her husband. She was listed in guarded condition.
The driver and his wife, 61, who were in the front seat, were wearing seat belts. They were listed in guarded condition.
Neither the victim nor his wife were wearing seat belts.
Police said neither speed nor alcohol appeared to be factors. Police said traffic cones and warning gates were in place at the entrance of the zipper lane.
The death was the 37th traffic fatality of the year.
Tractor, car in North Shore crash
A 60-year-old Waialua man who was thrown from his Ford farm tractor during a North Shore traffic collision Friday night remained in critical condition at The Queen's Medical Center yesterday.
Police said the accident occurred at Farrington Highway shortly before 9 p.m. when the eastbound tractor driver attempted to make a left turn onto to Ku Place and was struck by a westbound white 1989 Chevrolet driven by a 19-year-old man, also from Waialua.
The driver of the tractor, which had no license tags, received massive internal injuries when he was struck and thrown to the pavement. The driver of the westbound Chevrolet, who was alone in the car, was not injured.
Neither driver appeared to be under the influence of alcohol, although speed may have been a factor in the collision, police said. Authorities are investigating it as a negligent injury case.
Bank of Hawaii sues manager
Bank of Hawaii is suing the former manager of its Lana'i branch to recover more than $143,000 that allegedly was embezzled from seven customers.
The lawsuit is separate from federal criminal proceedings against Belina Costales Zamora, 39, who was arrested June 7 on Lana'i.
She has pleaded innocent to embezzlement by a bank employee and is scheduled for trial Aug. 20 in U.S. District Court in Honolulu.
The lawsuit, filed in 2nd Circuit Court, contends Zamora preyed on elderly customers and forged signatures in an attempt to hide unauthorized withdrawals that totaled $143,813.
The bank is asking Zamora to repay the $143,813 it reimbursed to customers as well as interest and other costs.
According to court records, Zamora was released on a $50,000 bond on conditions including that she reside at Miller Hale halfway house on O'ahu.
