HAWAI'I BRIEFS
2nd driver in fatal crash identified
Advertiser Staff
Big Island police have identified the second driver killed Sunday in a two-vehicle crash on Queen Ka'ahumanu Highway
Albizu Lebron, 34, of Kailua, Kona, was driving a 1992 Mitsubishi two-door sedan about two miles south of the Kona airport when a 1995 Jeep multi-purpose vehicle traveling north overtook another vehicle in a no-passing zone and collided head-on with Lebron's Mitsubishi.
Lebron and the driver of the Jeep, Richard B. Walsh, 23, of Kailua, Kona, were both pronounced dead at Kona Community Hospital after the 2:59 a.m. crash.
A 21-year-old passenger in the Jeep was treated and released from Kona hospital.
Police said Walsh was not wearing a seat belt; they believe speed and alcohol use by Walsh contributed to the crash. Police have ordered autopsies to determine the exact cause of death.
The deaths are the first and second traffic fatalities on the Big Island this year compared with none at this time last year.
SEARCH FAILS TO FIND 'OPIHI PICKER
A ground and helicopter search yesterday failed to turn up any sign of a missing 'opihi picker on the Big Island.
Leslie Delo Santos, 57, of Onomea, was reported missing after family members found his belongings at a fishing spot called "Diablo," mauka of the Onomea cemetery.
Delo Santos was last seen by a neighbor on Jan. 2 on the Onomea Scenic Route, police said.
Police ask anyone with information about Delo Santos' whereabouts to call Officer Grant Todd at 961-2213 or the Police Department's nonemergency number at 935-3311.
HONOLULU
MALNOURISHED GIRL SUBJECT OF PROBE
Police have opened an investigation to determine if an elementary school-aged girl who is severely malnourished is a victim of abuse or suffers from an eating disorder.
No one has been arrested but police have talked to the girl's parents, both 33.
The investigation is classified as a first-degree assault.
According to police, Emergency Medical Services personnel responded to a call Sunday at 1:48 p.m. to a Honolulu address and took the juvenile in critical condition to an area hospital. Police did not release any further information about the case yesterday.
KAKA'AKO
SUSPECT CHARGED IN CAR FIRE
A 31-year-old man was charged yesterday for allegedly setting a car on fire during an argument Sunday in Kaka'ako.
Clifton B. Jones, who has no permanent local address, is accused of second-degree arson and is being held in lieu of $20,000 bail. Jones allegedly started a fire that caused extensive front interior damage to the car of a 34-year-old woman he had been arguing with at 41 Ahui St. at about 7:45 p.m.
STATE
JUDGES FARE WELL IN EVALUATION
The latest evaluations for 30 state judges show that most performed well in terms of their legal skills and courtroom techniques, the state Judiciary announced yesterday.
The evaluations were based on confidential questionnaires submitted by lawyers. The evaluations covered nine Circuit Court judges, nine Family Court judges and 12 District Court judges.
The mean scores for the judges was in the four-point range for legal ability and judicial management skills on a scale from one for poor and five for excellent.
Evaluations for the individual judges are confidential.
MAUI
FILTER CHANGE MAY AFFECT WATER TASTE
Customers on the Upper Kula water system may notice a slight chlorine taste or smell in their tap water later this week as the Department of Water Supply prepares for a filter change at the Olinda Water Treatment Facility. The facility serves more than 2,000 water meters in the Upper Kula and 'Ulupalakua and Kanaio areas.
The water department will begin disinfecting the water with chlorine today, and the changes may be noticeable by Friday as water flows through the system, spokeswoman Jacky Takakura said.
The filter-replacement project is scheduled to begin Jan. 22.
