Three Kaua'i police officers pleaded no contest yesterday to charges of theft and falsifying government records after they traveled to a training session at county expense but skipped the training, the state Attorney General's Office said.

Sgt. Wesley F. Perreira, Sgt. Lawrence E.T. Stem and Officer Channing T. Tada each pleaded no contest to second-degree theft, a felony, and tampering with a government record. They face up to five years in prison on the theft charges.

The three officers went to Maui in September 2005 for two days of Indoor Marijuana Investigation Training at Pu'ununu Armory near Kihei.

The three officers never attended the training, which was hosted by the Maui Police Department and partially funded by federal grant money. The officers failed to notify their chain of command that they would skip the training and did not provide a reason for their absence, the Attorney General's Office said.

Upon returning to Kaua'i, each submitted time sheets that included the two days of training. Stem and Tada also filled out Kaua'i Police Department training forms and rated the training.

Each officer received amounts ranging from $403 to $478 in salary for the time they were supposed to be in training. They also claimed or tried to claim $383 in federal money for airfare and per diem.

The department learned several weeks later that the officers did not attend the session.

Sentencing is scheduled for April 30 before 3rd Circuit Judge Kathleen Watanabe.

DAMAGE FROM TWO FIRES ASSESSED

Honolulu Fire Department officials have set damage estimates for two fires that occurred Wednesday morning.

A fire at Sarento's restaurant on the top floor of the Ilikai Hotel, which was reported about 2:50 a.m., was found to have started in a wall adjacent to the restaurant kitchen. None of the restaurant contents was damaged, but the fire caused an estimated $10,000 damage to the wall and adjoining kitchen areas, fire officials said.

The cause of a McCully apartment fire at 742 Hau'oli St., which was reported about 7:20 a.m., remained under investigation. Damage to the structure and the unit's contents was estimated to be $200,000 and $25,000, respectively.