POLICE BEAT
Aid sought to find Waikiki woman
Advertiser Staff
Police are asking for help in locating a 47-year-old woman who has been missing since Nov. 19.
Shirley Browning suffers from depression and mental illness, police said. She was last seen at her Ala Wai Boulevard apartment at about 6:30 p.m. Nov. 19.
Browning
Browning is 5 feet 6, 165 to 180 pounds, with brown shoulder-length hair and brown eyes.
Anyone with information about Browning is asked to call police investigator James Vasconcellos at 529-3064, or CrimeStoppers at 955-8300 or *CRIME on a cellular phone.
Duo burglarizes Navy housing
Honolulu police and the Navy Criminal Investigative Service were searching for a man and woman who burglarized a Navy housing unit near Salt Lake Nov. 18.
Police said a dark-blue sedan was seen parked in front of a Maloelap Drive home at about 10 a.m. Nov. 18. A neighbor said there appeared to be a man and woman in the car.
Male suspect
The occupant of the home returned later in the day and found the house unlocked, rooms searched and electronic items taken.
The female suspect is described as about 30, medium build, dark brown hair and a tan complexion. She was wearing a green T-shirt, police said.
The man is 25 to 26 years old, medium height and build, dark brown wavy hair and a tan complexion. Police said the pair's car appeared to be a four-door Toyota sedan.
Anyone with information is asked to call Special Agent Kay Een at 474-1218, Ext. 266, or CrimeStoppers at 955-8300, or *CRIME on a cellular phone.
Police charge stabbing suspect
A 32-year-old man was charged yesterday in connection with a stabbing last week in Chinatown.
Hai Khanh Tang of Honolulu was charged with one count of first-degree assault. He was being held last night in lieu of $50,000 bail.
Tang is accused of stabbing a 42-year-old man in front of a Maunakea Street liquor store Nov. 17. Police said the two men were arguing, then the older man was stabbed in the back.
The suspect fled from the scene. Tang was identified by the victim, who was critically injured. Tang was arrested Monday.
Two arrested in vehicle break-ins
A man and a woman were caught breaking into cars Monday in the parking garage attached to the state Circuit Court building on Punchbowl Street, police said.
A car owner was returning to the parking garage just before
10 a.m. Monday when he saw a stranger stepping out of his car, holding the car's stereo. The man was detained, and police arrived to find a woman sitting in a car with its engine running that was parked next to the one that had been broken into.
The parking attendant told police he saw the woman in the driver's seat of the car, which police found was stolen.
While police were arresting the man on suspicion of car theft and breaking into the car in the parking garage, they learned that a second car had been broken into.
Items taken from the second car were found in the stolen car in which the woman had been sitting, and she was then arrested on suspicion of possessing stolen goods.
Punchbowl man arrested in theft
A 40-year-old Punchbowl man was arrested Monday on suspicion of impersonating a police officer and robbery.
In separate incidents, a 39-year-old man and 17-year-old boy told police they were approached at about 8 p.m. by a stranger on Prospect Street who pulled out a badge and tried to make them hand over their belongings.
In the first instance, the police impersonator ordered the man to drop a bag he was carrying, but the man realized the badge was phony and refused to comply, police said.
The bogus officer then threw a punch at the man, but he was able to deflect it, and the assailant walked away.
In the other instance, the boy was standing outside talking on his cellular phone when the man with the badge approached and ordered the boy to hand over the telephone.
When the boy refused, the man took out a gun, pointed it at the boy and grabbed the telephone from him.
Officers arrived minutes later and found the suspect nearby, as well as the gun he apparently had used. He was identified by both victims, police said.
Suspect charged in two burglaries
Authorities have arrested and charged Frederick Petty in connection with two recent "cat burglar" type break-ins in the East Honolulu area. They said Petty may be responsible for a third burglary as well.
In the most recent incident, on Friday, a Wai'alae Iki homeowner awoke at 2:40 a.m. and saw a stranger examining his dresser's contents.
The homeowner shouted at the stranger, who ran from the home and drove off in an older-model red car. Patrol officers responding to the call spotted the car and arrested Petty.
Petty also was charged in connection with the Sept. 13 burglary of a Hawai'i Kai home. In that case, a man woke up to see a man wearing a ski mask in his bedroom. When the man got up, he noticed his wife's purse was missing, and he heard a car driving away.
One of the wife's credit cards was used at 2:22 a.m. at a convenience store a few blocks away. The store's surveillance camera captured an image of the suspected burglar at the counter.
Two charged in Kane'ohe theft
Police arrested and charged two people in connection with a Nov. 15 burglary in Kane'ohe.
A neighbor of the victim noticed a black Ford Windstar van parked next to the home on 'Ohaha Street at about 10:30 a.m. There appeared to be a woman in the driver's seat, a small child in the passenger seat and a man in the back seat.
The victim returned home after work and found the house unlocked, the rooms in disarray and numerous items taken. A purse belonging to a family member was found that same evening near the Hawai'i Convention Center.
The investigation led officers to the Waikiki area, where the black van was found. The suspects were found shortly afterward in a Waikiki hotel room. A search warrant was obtained, and numerous items belonging to the victim were found.
Police then arrested and charged Michelle Kahoopii, 28, and Ralph Riveira, 26, in connection with the case.
Runaway arrested in vehicle theft
A 17-year-old girl was arrested after police caught her driving a stolen car in 'Aiea Heights at about 4 p.m. Monday.
A patrol officer saw the girl commit a traffic violation, and a computer check showed the car she was driving had been reported stolen. When the officer tried to pull her over, the girl tried to speed away, then stopped and fled on foot. The officer caught her a short time later, arrested her on suspicion of car theft and learned she also was on a list of runaways sought by police.
