Posted on: Friday, May 17, 2002
Police Beat
Ka'u horse killer still on the loose
Big Island police are seeking the public's help in identifying the person who shot a horse in a pasture above Pahala. Police said the horse was shot during the May 4-5 weekend and they suspect a .22-caliber weapon was used. The horse had to be destroyed, police said.
Anyone with information is asked to call Officer Augustine Akiu Jr. of the Ka'u Patrol, (808) 939-2520, or the police nonemergency number, (808) 935-3311.
Those who wish to remain anonymous may call Crime Stoppers at (808) 961-8300 in Hilo or (808) 329-8181 in Kona.
Coast Guard aids two ailing seamen
Coast Guard crews rescued ailing seamen yesterday in two separate cases.
In one case, a 30-year-old man aboard the Honolulu fishing vessel Seeker II was believed to be suffering from appendicitis, said Chief Joseph Curcio, Coast Guard spokesman. A Coast Guard C-130 plane arrived at Christmas Island yesterday morning to pick up the seaman and fly him to Honolulu, Curcio said.
But it's the second sailor, a 39-year-old crewman aboard the Chinese cargo boat Tai Shan Hai, who was deemed to be at greater medical risk due to a severe bleeding ulcer, Curcio said.
The Coast Guard cutter Assateague was dispatched yesterday to make a sea rescue because the vessel was 700 miles north of Hawai'i with no landfall within reach, Curcio said. The earliest the Assateague is expected to return with the man is tonight, he said.
The Coast Guard could have shaved three hours off the rescue time by sending a helicopter later when the boat is within 100 miles of Hawai'i, Curcio said, but the ship's medic said the trauma from being hoisted would be riskier than trip on board the cutter.
