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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Saturday, February 21, 2009

Liquor official a DUI suspect

By Curtis Lum
Advertiser Staff Writer

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser
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A member of the city commission responsible for enforcing liquor laws was arrested early Thursday on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol.

Danny Kim, 33, was arrested shortly after 2 a.m. Thursday at Kilauea and Makapu'u avenues near Kapi'olani Community College. Kim, one of five members of the Honolulu Liquor Commission, was booked and released on $500 bail about two hours after his arrest.

He is scheduled to appear in District Court on the charge on March 19, police records show.

Kim could not be reached for comment.

Although he has yet to make his court appearance, Kim yesterday told Liquor Commission chairman Dennis Enomoto that he will resign his seat, Enomoto said.

"While we do not have all the facts surrounding the this matter, if true, this is certainly not behavior that the commission condones," Enomoto said. "Commissioner Kim has indicated he will be resigning his position and will provide a letter to me shortly."

Dewey Kim, Liquor Commission administrator, said he was "saddened" to learn of Kim's arrest and resignation. He said Danny Kim was a "good member of the commission" and worked hard with the other members to see that liquor laws are followed.

Danny Kim was appointed to the commission in May 2003 by then-Mayor Jeremy Harris. Kim's term expired at the end of 2007, but he remained on the panel as a holdover member.

Kim's arrest is the latest in a series of legal setbacks for the commission.

In 2002, eight former inspectors were indicted by a federal grand jury on racketeering, bribery, extortion and related counts. At the time, the case was described as the state's largest corruption case involving a government agency.

All eight were found guilty in the case and received prison sentences.

In 2007, a former inspector pleaded guilty to extorting nightclub owners in exchange for providing information about Liquor Commission inspections and allowing them to operate in violation of liquor laws.

Kim said he had no comment on what he thinks the impact of Danny Kim's arrest will have on the commission's reputation.

Reach Curtis Lum at culum@honoluluadvertiser.com.