Hawai'i briefs
Advertiser Staff
WINDWARD
Fire destroys Hau'ula home
Fire investigators last night were looking into the cause of a fire that destroyed a Hau'ula home and left seven people homeless.
The fire at 55-246 Kamehameha Highway was reported at 7:48 p.m. When firefighters arrived five minutes later the single-story home was fully engulfed in flames, said fire spokesman Capt. Emmit Kane.
Firefighters extinguished the fire at 8:40 p.m., Kane said. The seven family members who lived at the home were being assisted by the American Red Cross.
The cause of the fire was under investigation. No one was injured.
Waimanalo raid ends in arrests
Police raided a Waimanalo home Monday looking for stolen credit cards and found drug paraphernalia, a .22-caliber rifle and computers believed to have been stolen.
Two women, 33 and 28, and a 42-year-old man were arrested in the residence on Mekia Street, according to police, who said all three had outstanding traffic warrants. Both women were arrested for investigation of attempted theft; the 33-year-old was also arrested for investigation of identity theft, fraudulent use of a credit card and forgery. The case stems from a July 25 car break-in at Makapu'u Beach. The three were released pending investigation.
HONOLULU
Man charged in sexual assault
A 24-year-old P?lolo man was charged yesterday with the sexual assault of his 20-year-old girlfriend.
Wayne J. Ancheta of Pa'alea Street is accused of repeatedly assaulting the woman on Aug. 3. The woman said the assaults began after Ancheta became angry with her and began to terrorize her, police said.
Ancheta was charged with one count of first-degree sexual assault. He was being held on $100,000 bail.
Drug briefing downtown today
The Downtown Neighborhood Board will learn about how to detect drug labs in high-rises during a presentation by Honolulu Narcotics Detective Gerald Rebuildela at 7 p.m. today. The meeting will be at the Pauahi Community Center, 171 N. Pauahi St.
NORTH SHORE
Audubon seeks OHA grant
The National Audubon Society asked the Office of Hawaiian Affairs yesterday for a two-year grant totaling $500,000 to establish a center at Waimea Valley that would preserve its cultural and botanical resources and educate the public about them.
The society took over the valley in June, promising to convert what formerly was known as Waimea Falls Park into a destination more directed toward education for local residents than tourists, said Tamar Chotzen, who heads the society's education programs nationally. The OHA beneficiary advocacy and empowerment committee will make its recommendation to the board of trustees.
