A power outage interrupted service for several hours to about 900 Hawaiian Electric Co. customers in the Pearl Ridge area yesterday.The outage was reported about 10:30 a.m. Electricity was restored to all customers at 3:45 p.m., HECO spokesman Darren Pai said.

STUDENT REPORTS SEXUAL ASSAULT

Police have opened a misdemeanor sex assault investigation after a female student at Highlands Intermediate School reported that a campus security guard improperly touched her.

The girl, 12, has said she was groped Tuesday at 11:30 a.m. while walking in a hallway, police said. The girl told her parents, who reported it to police.

The security guard, 43, was arrested at the school at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday for investigation of third-degree sexual assault. Police questioned him and released him pending further investigation.

MAKENA DROWNING VICTIM IDENTIFIED

Maui police identified a man who drowned last week while snorkeling off Pu'u O Lai at Makena State Park as Gene Ward, 54, of West Hollywood, Calif.

Ward was reported missing by another snorkeler at 12:45 p.m. May 1. A Maui Fire Department helicopter located Ward's body a half-hour later about 40 yards off Oneloa Beach, also known as Big Beach. He was brought to shore on a personal watercraft and pronounced dead at the beach.

MAKIKI INVASION, ROBBERY REPORTED

Four men, one armed with a pistol, barged into a Makiki apartment Wednesday night, demanded money from a 56-year-old woman resident and stole cash and a computer.

The woman was not hurt.

She told police that four men entered her apartment through an unlocked door about 9:30 p.m. Wednesday and demanded $2,000. When she couldn't produce the money, the men took $400 from her roommate's wallet and his laptop computer and cell phone. One of the four men had a pistol in his waistband, the woman said.

WATER MAIN BREAK IN PEARL CITY

A water main break disrupted service yesterday morning to residents of Ho'omoana Street in Pearl City. Service was restored at 11:30 a.m. Crews were completing road repairs last night.