Hawai'i briefs
Advertiser Staff
Man injured in 1-car crash
A man was critically injured in a one-vehicle crash near 785 Kina'u St. last night.
The accident was reported at about 7:50 p.m. Details were not available, but police said the man was thrown from his car.
Police closed the Kina'u off-ramp from the H-1 Freeway, as well as Kina'u from Alapa'i Street to Ward Avenue.
The cause of the accident was under investigation.
CENTRAL
Waipahu man dies in wreck
A 50-year-old Waipahu man was killed yesterday when his car hit a barrier and veered into a ditch off the H-1 Freeway near Waikele.
At about 9:45 a.m., the man was traveling westbound in a silver, two-door Chevy Monte Carlo when his car struck the left barrier, police said. The car veered right off the roadway, striking a metal sign before coming to a stop in a run-off ditch.
The man was dead at the scene. Witnesses said the car may have been speeding.
The crash closed three westbound lanes for almost three hours. The death was the 26th traffic fatality this year, compared with 31 at this time last year.
HONOLULU
Mayor against council raises
Mayor Jeremy Harris said yesterday that the City Council should reject pay increases recommended by the city's Salary Commission. "I just don't think by any stretch of the imagination that a 21 percent pay hike for the City Council is advisable at this time," he said.
The raises would increase pay for the council chairman by $10,455, to $58,905. Pay for the other eight council members would increase by $9,350, to $52,700. Raises for the mayor, managing director and several other positions would increase 5 percent.
The raises will go into effect unless seven of the nine council members vote to reject all or some of them.
Ex-mail clerk gets 8 months
A 34-year-old former civilian mail clerk at Pearl Harbor has been sentenced to eight months in prison after pleading guilty to stealing mail destined for active-duty personnel aboard submarines.
U.S. District Judge David Ezra also ordered Karson K. Kuewa to perform 500 hours of community service. Kuewa will be required to do cleanup and maintenance work in nonsecured areas at U.S. post offices on O'ahu.
Kuewa pleaded guilty last year to mail theft and obstruction of justice. He admitted stealing mail 15 to 20 times from November 2001 to February 2002 while he worked at the mail center, which is operated by a private contractor at Pearl Harbor, said U.S Attorney Ed Kubo.
LEEWARD
Police officer arrested
A 25-year-old Honolulu police officer was arrested Monday in Wai'anae on suspicion that he threatened another man with a gun.
The officer was off-duty when the alleged offense occurred. He was arrested at 6:55 a.m., booked for first-degree terroristic threatening and unauthorized entry into a motor vehicle, before being released pending further investigation.
Internal Affairs is investigating. The officer, who has 3 1/2 years of HPD experience, has been placed on paid administrative leave.
The officer allegedly threatened a man with a gun and used a baton to shatter the windshield of his car.
