New U.S. marshal sworn in

Gervin K. Miyamoto, a longtime isle law enforcement officer, was sworn in Thursday as U.S. marshal for Hawaii.

Miyamoto, of Aiea, is the 19th U.S. marshal for the islands and replaces Mark "Dutch" Hanohano.

Miyamoto has 38 years of experience working for county, state and federal law enforcement agencies, including a 25-year career with the Honolulu Police Department.

After retiring as a lieutenant from HPD in 1995, he served three years as the state counterdrug coordinator, then about 10 years as law enforcement coordinator for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Honolulu.

Miyamoto graduated from Roosevelt High School in 1968. He holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Chaminade University and a master’s degree in organizational management from the University of Phoenix.

Charter school accredited

Kanu o ka ‘Aina New Century public charter school on the Big Island has received accreditation by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges for its K-12 program.

The WASC accreditation, the first for a Hawaiian-focused charter school, is effective for six years, a news release said.

"This is validation of the quality of education at Kanu, which is at once culturally driven and academically rigorous and prepares students to walk comfortably in multiple worlds," said school Administrator Pat Bergin.

About 220 students attend the school in Waimea, which was chartered in 2000.

NEIGHBOR ISLANDS

6 more scam cases filed

Big Island detectives, investigating a complaint in which a girls basketball club lost $9,000 in an airline ticket voucher fraud, are handling six more cases this week.

Capt. Randall Medeiros of the Criminal Investigation Division in Hilo said his division has received at least six more complaints associated with suspects involved with fake Hawaiian Airlines ticket vouchers.

Medeiros said there may be more cases than have been reported, which have not yet reached the Criminal Investigation Division or involve other suspects.

Ben Pana, coach of the Keaukaha Lady Ballahs, a girls’ basketball club, reported to police June 9 that his club bought 30 ticket vouchers for a trip to Las Vegas for $9,000. The girls were to participate in their first mainland tournament next month.

The FBI and Hawaiian Airlines are investigating the scam and the fraudulent use of stolen credit card information.

Lawyer hopes for leniency

A defense attorney said he hopes Big Island musician and record producer Greggory Perry will not receive a possible 10-year prison term when he is sentenced in September.

The 61-year-old Perry pleaded guilty in May to a single count of possession of child pornography.

Defense attorney Eric Seitz said Monday that Perry had no plea agreement with federal prosecutors, but he could receive a reduced sentence.

Seitz says Perry took responsibility for what he did and has no prior record.

Perry was arrested in April, nearly two years after U.S. Immigration and Customs officers executed a search warrant at his home. Investigators say they found about 2,000 images of child pornography on computers that were seized.