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The Honolulu Advertiser

Posted at 2:10 p.m., Monday, July 9, 2007

Father of malnourished child arrested in Waipahu

By Rod Ohira
Advertiser Staff Writer

Pearl City Crime Reduction Unit officers today arrested 33-year-old Melvin Wright on a $100,000 warrant charging him with attempted second-degree murder stemming from the negligent abuse of his daughter.

Wright was arrested without incident at his Village Park residence in Waipahu at 11:30 a.m. He and his wife, 33-year-old Denise Wright, were indicted by an O'ahu grand jury Tuesday.

Denise Wright was arrested Friday by East Honolulu CRU officers at her Varsity Circle apartment in Mo'ili'ili.

The indictments stem from a police and state child welfare investigation into the couple's 11-year-old daughter, who was found to be extremely malnourished by Emergency Medical Services personnel on Jan. 7 at a Kina'u Street apartment.

The girl reportedly weighed less than 50 pounds.

Child Welfare Services has maintained foster custody of the child since January.