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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Slack-key master Kaapana arrested


By Curtis Lum
Advertiser Staff Writer

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Ledward Kaapana

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Hawaiian slack key guitar legend Ledward Kaapana was arrested and charged with criminal property damage following an incident at a South Beretania Street convenience store last week.

Kaapana, 61, was arrested at 12:25 p.m. Friday on one count of fourth-degree criminal property damage, a petty misdemeanor. He was released on $50 bail and is scheduled to appear in Honolulu District Court on Dec. 14.

Details of the incident were not available from police.

Kaapana declined to comment, but Judy Barrett, office manager for Kaapana's Jus' Press Productions, said she was told that the incident began at a convenience store when a man parked his car in the middle of the lanes in the gas pump area. She said Kaapana asked the man to move his car, but he refused and walked into the store.

Kaapana followed and the two got into an argument, Barrett said. At one point the man shouted an ethnic slur at Kaapana, she said, which angered Kaapana.

"Led stomped out and banged his fist on the hood of the guy's car," Barrett said. "There was no damage."

Sometime during the argument police were called and Kaapana was arrested near the American Savings Bank on South Beretania Street. Barrett said the man involved in the argument did not want to press charges, but that a police sergeant insisted on pursing the case.

A police spokeswoman declined comment because the case is still pending.

Kaapana is a three-time Grammy Award nominee and winner of multiple Nä Hoku Hanohano awards, Hawai'i's version of the Grammy's. He and his twin brother, Nedward, formed Hui Ohana with Dennis Pavao in the 1970s, and Ledward later formed another trio, I Kona.