HAWAI'I BRIEFS
Man, 26, charged in shooting
Advertiser Staff
Police charged a 26-year-old man yesterday for allegedly shooting at two men during an early morning confrontation Oct. 18 in Kalihi.
Jonathan R. Soriano was charged with one count of attempted first-degree murder, two counts of attempted second-degree murder and three firearm offenses. His bail totals $275,000.
Soriano, arrested Thursday at a Halona Street residence in Kapalama, is accused of being with John Paul Madrid, 26, when the pair confronted two other men on Kaiwiula and Alokele streets. Madrid, who was charged last Wednesday, allegedly attacked the victims with a knife while Soriano fired at least six shots at both victims, wounding one of them in the lower front torso, police said.
The shooting victim is in serious condition at The Queen's Medical Center, police said.
A police report on Madrid's arrest filed at District Court says the alleged shooter pointed the gun at one of the victims and pulled the trigger several times but had run out of ammunition. It says the two suspects fled the scene in Madrid's car.
Developer pulled from ocean, dies
A part-time Maui resident who was implicated in a major federal housing fraud scheme died Thursday after being pulled from the ocean off Kapalua Beach.
A. Bruce Rozet, 75, died despite efforts on the beach to revive him, police said. The cause of death has not been determined.
While Rozet, a landlord-developer, wasn't well-known on Maui, he gained notoriety in the late 1990s when the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development accused him of taking kickbacks on inflated management fees. He and a partner had holdings across the country that included more than 21,000 housing units that received annual federal subsidies of $71.6 million.
In 2001, Rozet admitted to taking part in a $3.4 million fraud scheme against HUD and agreed to pay $10.2 million in fines and penalties.
Rozet operated several companies and also owned the Rozet Vineyard in Paso Robles, Calif.
Hokuli'a lot buyers seek mediation
The buyers of one of the lots in the luxury Hokuli'a development on the Big Island are seeking a court order forcing the developer into mediation over their wish to cancel their purchase.
Stephen E. Heiman and Diane Sanchez Heiman, as co-trustees of a living trust agreement, bought a
one-acre lot for $700,000 in January 2001, according to a Circuit Court petition filed Thursday.
The development ran into trouble in a series of lawsuits over land use and environmental concerns. On Sept. 9, Circuit Court Judge Ronald Ibarra ordered the project shut down.
One week later, according to the petition, the Heimans asked for cancellation or arbitration; they allege that the developer, Oceanside 1250 Partners, failed to begin mediation.
John De Fries, Hokuli'a chief executive officer, declined detailed comment, stating in a prepared release that the company "will be responding to his petition in the near future."
Bank of Hawaii at Pearlridge robbed
The Pearlridge branch of Bank of Hawaii was robbed Thursday by a man who may have been carrying a gun. The robbery at 98-211 Pali Momi St. was reported, at 1 p.m. No injuries were reported and the man fled with an undisclosed amount of cash.
The robber was described as in his 30s, 5 to feet to 6, with a slim build and long dark hair, brown eyes, a mustache and goatee. He was wearing a black baseball hat with a horseshoe logo.
Anyone with information should call Detective James Nobriga at 692-4507 or anonymously call CrimeStoppers at 955-8300.
It was the sixth bank robbery this month and 33rd on O'ahu this year.
Man charged in attack on officer
A 31-year-old man was charged Thursday after he allegedly punched a police officer in Wahiawa.
Thomas Kaleiopu, who has no known permanent local address, was charged with first-degree assault on a law-enforcement officer. He is being held in lieu of $50,000.
The officer, 51, was treated for facial cuts and bruises and bruised ribs. According to Wahiawa police, the officer was sent to Kukui Street at 11:05 a.m. to investigate three men acting suspiciously near a vehicle. The officer learned from checking the identities of the three men that all three were wanted on outstanding warrants.
Kaleiopu, wanted on a parole retake warrant, allegedly assaulted the officer before jumping into Lake Wilson. He was arrested at noon when he came out of the lake at 320 Ohai Place. The other two men were captured at the scene.
Armed-robbery suspect arrested
Waikiki Crime Reduction Unit police officers Thursday arrested a 22-year-old man on suspicion of armed robbery.
The alleged robbery occurred Monday at 3 a.m. on Ala Wai Boulevard. The victim reported being robbed by a gunman after parking his car. Police identified the suspect and arrested him yesterday at 134 Kapahulu Ave. at 1:12 p.m.
