Maui airport suspect charged

By Timothy Hurley
Advertiser Maui County Bureau

WAILUKU, Maui — Charges of first-degree attempted murder and first-degree criminal property damage were filed yesterday against the Ha'iku, Maui, man who drove his sport utility vehicle into the ticket lobby of Kahului Airport and set it on fire Sunday.

Paul Blatchley is expected to make his initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Honolulu today.

FBI Special Agent Arnold Laanui Jr. said Blatchley will be charged with either causing violence at an international airport and/or maliciously damaging or destroying property leased by the U.S. government.

Officials said the man drove his dark blue Dodge Durango up the crosswalk curb and into the south end of the open-air ticket lobby shortly before 8 a.m. Sunday, then poured flammable liquid into the back seat and set it on fire, setting off the sprinklers and scorching the ceiling of the lobby.

The airport was evacuated, and thousands of passengers were stranded until flights were resumed that evening. Some flights were rescheduled for today.

Blatchley today is expected to make his initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Honolulu.

As for the Maui charges, first-degree attempted murder is a felony that carries a maximum of life in prison without parole. First-degree criminal property damage carries a maximum of 10 years in prison.

Laanui would not speculate on Blatchley's motive for doing what he did, though the agent did rule out terrorism. "This definitely was not a terrorist incident," he said.

Blatchley's roommate, Francis Lobik, defended his longtime friend.

"He hasn't got a mean streak in his bones," Lobik told TV station KITV. "He would never do anything like this intentionally. He's been under a lot of stress and a lot of depression lately."

Lobik and Blatchley moved to Hawai'i from Massachusetts last year. They ran a botanical garden in Monson, Mass., and a dairy farm for many years.

Blatchley suffered from severe depression and was having financial problems, Lobik said.

"He bottled things up inside of himself and never talked about things," he said. "It was a sad situation. I didn't know how to deal with it; neither did his family. We realize now this whole thing was a cry for help."

Witnesses said Blatchley appeared to be trying to kill himself, and officials described his mental state as distraught.

The airport, meanwhile, was up and running yesterday while trying to catch up with the flights that were canceled Sunday, including separate American Airlines flights to Chicago and Dallas-Fort Worth.

The airport wasn't inordinately busy yesterday, but travelers without confirmed reservations were having trouble finding seats.

"We should be back on track (today)," said Scott Ishikawa, Transportation Department spokesman.

Ishikawa said the preliminary estimate on damage to the terminal is less than $10,000. Officials were worried that big-ticket items, such as the security screening equipment, were damaged by water from the sprinkler system, but they were not, he said.

Tourists whose travel plans were thwarted Sunday returned to the airport yesterday morning.

"You got a madman in the airport, and what are you going to do?" said Judy Vay Benthuysen of Chicago, who was waiting for an American Airlines flight. "It's the price you pay for the extra precautions we have to have these days."

Thirty-two stranded passengers who couldn't find accommodations elsewhere slept on cots inside the War Memorial Gym in Wailuku, where the American Red Cross had set up a shelter. After breakfast this morning, the last of the passengers headed for the airport at 9 a.m.

Kevin O'Connell, an attorney from Portland, Ore., said he and his wife Sharon, were about to leave their Wailea hotel room Sunday when they heard about the airport closure. After learning that people were being put up for the night at a gymnasium, he secured another night in Wailea and volunteered to fly out the next day.

"Yesterday was a bonus day," O'Connell said. "It was great; it gave us a second chance for dinner at Mama's (Fish House in Ku'au)."

This article includes information from the Associated Press.

Reach Timothy Hurley at thurley@honoluluadvertiser.com or (808) 244-4880.