Court briefs

Advertiser Staff

Man to face trial in theft, assault

District Judge Faye Koyanagi yesterday ordered John Gouveia to trial on charges of assaulting a police officer and car theft.

Gouveia, 42, is accused of driving a pickup truck Friday that sideswiped a car before hitting one officer and running over the foot of another at Liholiho Street and Wilder Avenue in Makiki.

The car theft charge stems from a May 10 incident in which a 1992 Mercedes 300E was taken from a Wailupe Circle residence.

The judge set bail at $60,000.

Meanwhile, police have asked for the public's help in finding Gordon Morse, 32, who is accused as the driver of the truck involved in the Round Top Drive incident also on Friday afternoon.

In that case, another officer was injured when he was dragged by a pickup truck that had been stopped by police who were investigating a recent rash of vehicle break-ins.

Deferral granted in campaign case

Circuit Judge Richard Perkins yesterday granted a request by the owner of a Honolulu engineering firm to postpone accepting his no contest plea to charges of money laundering and making campaign contributions under false names to Mayor Jeremy Harris, former Gov. Ben Cayetano and former Lt. Gov. Mazie Hirono.

Edward K. Noda pleaded no contest March 29. Perkins set a deferral period of five years and fined Noda $3,000.

City Deputy Prosecutor Randal Lee did not oppose the deferral for Noda.

"Edward Noda cooperated fully and provided information to further investigations of higher-ups," Lee said.

If Noda abides by conditions similar to probation for the next five years and stays out of trouble with the law, he will avoid a permanent criminal record.