Posted on: Friday, September 17, 2004
Bail at $15,000 for ex-beauty queen
Tiffini Hercules, who once stood smiling before a national spotlight as Miss Hawaii USA, yesterday stood in District Court on drug charges, her dirty bare feet shackled at the ankles, her tan jeans smudged and her hair a tousled mess.
Jeff Widener • The Honolulu Advertiser On Tuesday, the winner of the 1998 Miss Hawaii USA pageant and her husband, John Limahai Jr., were arrested in a raid by Honolulu police. Police said she was dealing ice, or crystal methamphetamine, from a house on Paulele Street in the Enchanted Lake neighborhood of Kailua.
Neighbors in the area didn't want to be quoted by name yesterday, saying they feared reprisal. However, they said they have suspected for years that drug deals were being conducted in front of the house in the early morning.
They said they occasionally smelled strong chemical odors coming from the house.
According to city records, the home belongs to Thomas F. Barros. Neighbors said that was the name of the father of two men living there now. Neighbors said Barros died five years ago.
Former Miss Hawaii USA Tiffini Hercules is charged with promoting a dangerous drug in the second degree, a Class B felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison. She also was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia, a Class C felony that carries a possible five-year sentence. Her husband, John Limahai Jr., was charged with promoting a dangerous drug in the third degree, a Class C felony punishable by five years in jail, and possession of drug paraphernalia. His bail was set at $25,000 because he was arrested while out on bail for an unrelated offense. The home itself is in need of paint, and its browning lawn and overgrown and cluttered side yards contrast with the well-kept greenery and houses in the rest of the middle-class neighborhood with its stunning view of Mount Olomana and the Pali.
"It's not like a neighborhood you would expect to see drugs in," said Kailua police Lt. John McCarthy. "It's a nice place. The house is ratty."
Hercules was a target of a three-month investigation by crime-reduction officers in Kailua.
Police said Hercules had graduated only recently from ice user to ice dealer, and that she was known to patrol officers in the area.
Police said the arrests followed an extensive investigation into drug activity at the home. The day of the arrests, officers were prepared to execute a search warrant on the home when they stopped the couple a few miles away on Kailuana Place, police said.
Hercules and Limahai, who police said frequented the home but did not live there, were arrested on a contempt charge at 5:35 a.m. At 6:20 a.m., officers raided the home and recovered crystal methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia, police said.
While Hercules and Limahai were in custody, police said they found more crystal meth, drug paraphernalia and cash in bags that the couple discarded, court records released yesterday show.
Reach Mike Gordon at mgordon@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8012; and Eloise Aguiar at eaguiar@honoluluadvertiser.com or 234-5266.
Hercules smiled weakly but said nothing to Judge Yvonne R. Shinmura, who scheduled a preliminary hearing for Monday in District Court and confirmed Hercules' bail at $15,000. After the arraignment, Hercules shuffled out of the courtroom and her family would not comment.
Tiffini Hercules, former Miss Hawaii USA, appeared in District Court yesterday on drug-related charges.
There was no current telephone listing for the Barros home, and the family could not be reached for comment.
Criminal charges
