Big Island Police Arrest Three Following Early Morning Robbery in Hilo

Big Island police are investigating a reported robbery that occurred early Friday morning (November 9) in Hilo.

At about 12:20 a.m., an 18-year-old Hilo woman reported that she was on Haili Street near the Palace Theatre in Hilo when she was confronted by several individuals who assaulted her and stole her handbag.

 

Haili Street

The suspects fled the area on foot toward Kinoʻole Street.  The victim sustained minor injuries but declined medical treatment.

Responding officers located two Hilo women, 23-year-old Tyaony Luis-Kahalioumi and 20-year-old Lile Fifta Nau, and arrested them on suspicion of second-degree robbery and third-degree assault. Twenty-year-old Salilo Bruce Sele-Pang, also of Hilo, was arrested for fourth-degree theft. All three are being held at the Hilo police cellblock while detectives from the Area I Criminal Investigations Section continue the investigation.

Police ask that anyone who may have witnessed this incident or has any information about it contact Detective Grant Todd at 961-2385 or gtodd@co.hawaii.hi.us or Detective Nobert Serrao Jr. at 961-2383 or nserrao@co.hawaii.hi.us.

Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous may call Crime Stoppers at 961-8300 in Hilo or 329-8181 in Kona and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000. Crime Stoppers is a volunteer program run by ordinary citizens who want to keep their community safe. Crime Stoppers doesn’t record calls or subscribe to caller ID. All Crime Stoppers information is kept confidential.

Hawaii Coast Guard Looking for Source of False Distress Signals

The Coast Guard is asking the public’s help Friday, in locating the source of recent false distress calls which have been occurring mainly on the east end of Oahu.

Click here for false mayday audio download.

The most recent call occurred Tuesday, and was received at approximately 4 p.m. by Coast Guard watchstanders in the Sector Honolulu Command Center. The call was a child’s voice saying, “Hello, hello, hello, hello. Mayday, mayday.”

Coast Guard Petty Officer 1st Class Matthew Thiessen gets lifted into the MH-65 Dolphin helicopter after a search and rescue demonstration for National Safe Boating Week in Honolulu Harbor, May 20, 2011. In support of National Safe Boating Week a press briefing was held at Station Honolulu where local agencies joined the Coast Guard to promote the kickoff.
U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Angela Henderson

The voice sounded very similar, if not identical, to the voice heard on other recent radio calls that were eventually suspended as probable hoaxes after no source of distress could be located.

An MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point, Oahu, was launched to investigate Tuesday’s call. No indications of distress were located during the search. One vessel was located in the vicinity, but did not corroborate any mayday calls or signs of distress. The search was suspended at approximately 7:10 p.m., Tuesday.

“This may not occur to the hoax caller, but people could die as a result of prank calls,” said Commander Steve Wheeler, Sector Honolulu’s Search and Rescue Mission Coordinator. “Every call received by the Coast Guard is treated as an actual distress case. So while our boats and aircraft are out searching in response to these types of fake calls, another mariner, who truly is in distress, may not get the timely assistance they require.”

Knowingly communicating a false distress or causing the Coast Guard to attempt to save lives and property when no help is needed is a felony.  The penalties include prison time, criminal fines, civil fines and reimbursement to the Coast Guard for the ample costs incurred in responding to the false call.

Mariners are encouraged to take steps to prevent the occurrence of fraudulent calls by removing radios or locking them up when not in use, teaching children appropriate use, and reporting suspected hoax callers to the Coast Guard tip line at 1-800-264-5980.

For more information contact the 14th Coast Guard District Public Affairs Office at 808-535-3230.

Related articles

• Coast Guard probing hoax mayday calls (wcvb.com)
• Coast Guard: O.C. man making bogus ‘mayday’ calls (ocregister.com)
• Coast Guard investigating possible hoax case (audio available) (uscgnews.com)

Hawaii Resident Makes Forbes Magazine: Inside eBay Billionaire Pierre Omidyar’s Battle To End Human Trafficking

Hawaii residents, Pierre and Pam Omidyar are investing millions to end modern-day slavery with their organization Humanity United. Find out how in this issue of Forbes http://www.forbes.com/sites/clareoconnor/2012/11/08/inside-ebay-billionaire-pierre-omidyars-battle-to-end-human-trafficking/

Data from CAST shows how many enslaved people from various countries the LA-based group has helped free from the vicious trafficking cycle.

…When eBay went public in 1998, Pierre Omidyar “skipped ‘regular rich’ and went straight to ‘ridiculous rich,’ ” he says. He and Pam, a molecular scientist and his college sweetheart from Tufts, decided immediately that they’d give the vast majority of their wealth away within their lifetimes (they’ve since signed the Giving Pledge). Both just 31 then and worth more than $7 billion, it was a serious, overwhelming proposition. It took a few early years of earnest, scattershot check-writing across a handful of charities before they focused on trafficking as a target…”

More Here: Inside eBay Billionaire Pierre Omidyar’s Battle to End Human Trafficking

Related articles

• Inside eBay Billionaire Pierre Omidyar’s Battle To End Human Trafficking (forbes.com)
• How Pierre And Pam Omidyar Invest Their eBay Billions With Impact (forbes.com)
• Billion Dollar Givers: 23 Who Have Given Away $1 Billion Or More (forbes.com)
• eBay – New Logo (freshnessmag.com)
• Woman charged with human trafficking (sunnewsnetwork.ca)
• Stop the slaves on the streets (unicef.org.au)
• UN envoy warns on human trafficking in PH (rappler.com)
• Ypsilanti Man Convicted Of Enslaving 4 African Children (detroit.cbslocal.com)
• More girls from Maine and Portland being forced into $32 billion sex trade (bangordailynews.com)

Hawaii Department of Health Cites Globeteck Group, Inc. for Asbestos Training Violations

The Hawai‘i State Department of Health (DOH) has issued a Notice of Violation and Order against Globeteck Group, Inc. for violations of the state’s asbestos training and certification regulations.

The violations were discovered during routine re-certification activities and subsequent inspection of records on January 24, 2012. The DOH has imposed a penalty of $10,000. Globeteck Group may request a hearing to contest the allegations or order.

Globeteck Group was cited for two counts of issuing course completion certificates to a student who did not successfully complete two concurrently run training courses, as well as failing to properly ensure and document that each person receiving a certificate achieved a passing score on the examination. DOH collected the affected training certificates, and the individual must retake the courses from an accredited training provider and pass the exams prior to conducting regulated asbestos activities.

Other violations included failure to verify current certification of all students who applied for refresher training courses.

To perform tasks related to asbestos, all individuals must be certified each year in their particular areas. Asbestos professionals are required to attend annual training classes to keep up to date with the knowledge they need to keep themselves, others and the environment safe from exposure. State regulations govern the certification and training of asbestos professionals and any asbestos-related activity (such as demolition, renovation or repair) for commercial, DOH Cites Professional Training Hawai‘i for public, institutional, schools, most multi-family housing, and industrial buildings in Hawai‘i. Even private single-family homeowners are recommended to hire certified asbestos professionals when they suspect asbestos may create a problem.

The DOH Indoor and Radiological Health Branch regulates asbestos abatement activities, including the accreditation of asbestos training providers which ensures properly trained and qualified asbestos abatement workers, supervisors, inspectors, project designers, project monitors and management planners.

For more information on asbestos regulations go to: hawaii.gov/health/environmental/noise/pdf/asbestos.pdf

 

Big Island Police Searching for 13-Year-Old Boy Missing Since August

Big Island police are searching for a 13-year-old boy who was reported missing.

Benson Maddison was last seen on August 26 in Hilo. He is described as 4-feet tall, 70 pounds with brown eyes and black hair.

Police ask that anyone with information on his whereabouts call the Police Department’s non-emergency line at 935-3311.

Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous may call Crime Stoppers at 961-8300 in Hilo or 329-8181 in Kona. All Crime Stoppers information is kept confidential.