Posted on: Friday, May 9, 2003
Police Beat
Victim identified as Kihei man, 40
KIHEI, Maui — County police identified a 40-year-old motorcyclist killed in a Kihei traffic accident yesterday as David Maikai.
He was pronounced dead at the scene of the 12:51 a.m. accident at the intersection of South Kihei Road and Uilani Street. Police said his Kawasaki Vulcan motorcycle rear-ended a 19-foot boat that was being towed by a pickup truck.
The pickup's driver, a 35-year-old man, was not injured.
The traffic death was Maui's fifth of the year, compared with three at this time last year.
Kona case prompts counterfeiting alert
KAILUA, Hawai'i — Police seized $2,500 in counterfeit money yesterday and arrested a British couple in connection with passing a phony $100 bill at a Kona business.
A store at the Lanihau Shopping Center in Kailua called police just before 7 p.m. Tuesday to report that a woman had used a counterfeit bill to pay for merchandise and left without receiving all of her change, according to Capt. Julian Shiroma. Patrol officers later stopped a rental vehicle identified by a store employee and arrested the two occupants, a 36-year-old man and a 34-year-old woman, both of Birmingham, England.
Police said they found three counterfeit $100 bills in the car, then obtained search warrants for the couple's Ali'i Drive condominium, a security deposit box and the rental vehicle. Officers said that during searches yesterday, they found 22 more fake $100 bills, more than $2,000 in U.S. currency, some British money and goods believed to have been purchased with the counterfeit money.
Shiroma said other businesses may not be aware that they received bogus bills from the suspects. Police are asking anyone who may have received counterfeit money to call detective Zachary Houchin at (808) 326-4232.
The suspects were being held yesterday in the Kona police cellblock while police and the U.S. Secret Service continue to investigate.
New phone scam on Big Island
HILO, Hawai'i — Big Island police, who have been investigating a variety of telephone scams in recent months, report that a new one has surfaced, this one involving an alleged inheritance of $100,000.
A woman reported yesterday that she received a call from a man who identified himself as an attorney in Canada. He told the woman that she had inherited $100,000 and could receive the money if she wired $1,900 to an address in Canada.
Police warned residents to be on guard against scams in which they are asked to send a relatively small amount of money in return for a major sum.
Telephone scams can be reported by calling the police nonemergency number at (808) 935-3311.
Chinatown robbery suspect seized
A 41-year-old man was arrested yesterday on suspicion of robbing a Chinatown merchant.
The owner of Rainbow Hawaii at 1149 Maunakea St. was in a downstairs storage area at 6:20 p.m. when a surveillance camera showed a man in the store opening the cash register. The owner confronted the suspect and prevented him from fleeing.
Police arrested the man on suspicion of second-degree robbery.
Californian indicted in cruise threat
A federal grand jury yesterday indicted a California woman accused of planting high-seas terrorist threats aboard a cruise ship.
Kelley Marie Ferguson, 20, of Laguna Hills is charged with two counts of threatening acts of terrorism, each carrying up to 10 years in prison.
She is scheduled to be arraigned Monday, at which time she will answer to the charges. She remains confined without bail at the Federal Detention Center.
