Posted on: Friday, June 17, 2005

Maui rape cases may be linked

By Timothy Hurley
Advertiser Maui County Bureau

KAHULUI, Maui — Maui police are investigating the possibility that one man may be responsible for the rapes of two elderly women within a 1 1/2-mile radius over a two-week period.

Police said a 78-year-old woman was walking outside the senior residential community of Hale Mahaolu, on Wakea Avenue near Hina Avenue, around 5:30 a.m. Tuesday when she was forced into bushes and raped.

The woman, a resident at Hale Mahaolu, was treated for scratches and bruises at Maui Memorial Medical Center in Wailuku.

Two weeks earlier, on May 30 at 3 a.m., an 87-year-old woman was raped in the bedroom of her house about 1 1/2 miles away. The assailant broke a window to enter the house and stole a purse with cash and other items.

Meanwhile, residents of Hale Mahaolu are trying to be more cautious, said Roy Katsuda, executive director of the nonprofit housing corporation that runs Kahului's largest senior-assistance housing complex.

"They're hoping the police get the guy and put an end to it," he said.

Katsuda said the Hale Mahaolu security staff is on alert and making more random checks of the property. He said staff members are also looking at ways to improve security, including trimming bushes and making sure there's enough lighting.

Residents are being discouraged from walking too early in the morning, he said.

"The people are pretty much OK," Katsuda said. "The families are more concerned than the residents. The residents are taking this in stride. They realize it's serious, but they also know this kind of thing is not likely to occur here too often."

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