Hawai'i briefs

Advertiser Staff

LEEWARD

Police recruit faces charge

A preliminary hearing will be held tomorrow for a Kapolei man who was weeks away from graduating from the Honolulu police recruit class when he was charged with threatening his wife with a loaded handgun.

Ernie Gomez is being held in lieu of $75,000 bail at the O'ahu Community Correctional Center on a first-degree terroristic threatening charge. His hearing is set for 1:30 p.m. in state District Court.

According to court documents, on the morning of May 31, Gomez saw his wife talking with a male friend in the parking lot of Bloch Arena at Pearl Harbor and kissing the friend on the cheek.

He allegedly confronted them with a video camera and told the other man his wife is "a policeman's wife." The friend fled, and Gomez allegedly followed his wife home, and forced her to divulge the man's name, the documents indicate. Gomez then allegedly chambered a round in the handgun and pressed it to his wife's forehead, threatening to shoot.

He also allegedly assaulted her, causing injuries to her face and legs.

A police spokeswoman confirmed Gomez, 26, was enrolled in the recruit class slated to graduate June 15.

Wai'anae fire deliberately set

Investigators have determined that a fire that destroyed a vacant Wai'anae Valley home late Tuesday was intentionally set, and police arson investigators have been called into the case.

HFD Capt. Kenison Tejada said police laboratory technicians are studying samples to determine whether fire-starting fluids were used.

The fire on the 1500 block of Wai'anae Valley Road was reported about 9:20 p.m.

Neighbors reported hearing voices in or near the home before the fire began, Tejada said, adding that tenants had been evicted from the home a couple of weeks ago.

NORTH SHORE

Man's body has stab wounds

Homicide detectives are looking for leads in the death of a Hale'iwa man after an autopsy of the partially decomposed body revealed multiple stab wounds in the chest.

The victim, 61, has not been identified pending notification of next of kin, police said.

Police were called to the man's home Wednesday after he didn't show up at work. The stab wounds came to light during an autopsy Thursday, said homicide Lt. David Kamai, and the case was reclassified as a homicide.

BIG ISLAND

Man's car slams into dump truck

HILO, Hawai'i — A 20-year-old man was critically injured Friday when his BMW collided with a state dump truck on Hawai'i Belt Road near Laupahoehoe, police said.

Police said the man was driving north when he lost control of his vehicle, crossed the center line and struck the dump truck head on.

The injured man was taken to the Hilo Medical Center and later to The Queen's Medical Center in Honolulu, where he was reported in critical condition.

The driver of the dump truck was not injured.