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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Friday, July 17, 2009

'Missing' wife was safe at home


By David Waite
Advertiser Staff Writer

A man who told police, firefighters and Coast Guard officials Wednesday night that his wife was missing after their inflatable boat capsized off Magic Island was given a citation for allegedly filing a false report with law enforcement agencies, police Maj. Clayton Kau said yesterday.

The man told first responders that he and his wife were heading back to shore when the boat struck an object and overturned.

The man reported his wife missing about 9:15 p.m. and firefighters were sent to the seaward end of Magic Island at 9:45.

The boat was found inside the Magic Island lagoon about 10:05 p.m.

As the evening wore on, the man's story became more confused and he began to contradict himself, law enforcement officials said.

Rescue workers who responded to the scene said the man appeared to be intoxicated and told those who were engaged in the search that he thought he bumped his head when the boat flipped and that's why his story was not consistent.

Kau said police eventually were able to contact the man's wife at home and confirm that she was OK, and had not been on the raft with him.

Kau described the man as "uncooperative" when police were trying to gather information from him.

Filing a false report is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and/or a fine of up to $2,000.