Man arrested in series of false alarms

Police arrested an 18-year-old Mililani man yesterday who allegedly set off a series of false fire alarms the past few weeks in Mililani.

Officers responded to a fire alarm at Mililani High School at about 11:30 Wednesday night, which turned out to be a false alarm, police said.

Patrol officers stopped a group of people nearby, saw the man give a lit cigarette to a juvenile and arrested him on suspicion of providing tobacco to a minor, police said.

During questioning, the man made statements that led officers to believe he was involved in similar cases of setting off false alarms at businesses in Mililani, police said. Witnesses also said the man had set off other false alarms.

Besides pulling the alarm, the man also broke into a classroom, causing damage, and took items from the room, police said.

He was arrested on suspicion of fourth-degree criminal property damage, second-degree burglary, two misdemeanor counts of the rendering a false alarm and providing tobacco to a minor.

He was released pending investigation.

Brush fire on Maui is mostly doused

A stubborn brush fire that has been burning since Sunday night above Lahaina is still not fully contained, officials said last night.

The Maui Fire Department said the fire on vacant land mauka of the Lahaina Civic Center is 90 percent contained. Firefighters monitored the area for hot spots overnight.

About 130 acres have burned. No structures are threatened and the cause is under investigation.

Horse owner will be tried over cruelty

LIHUE » Lara Butler-Brady, charged with 16 counts of animal cruelty for horses she owns, asked for a jury trial Wednesday in District Court in Lihue.

Judge Trudy Senda ordered Butler-Brady to appear July 20 in Circuit Court, where a trial date will be set.

Sixteen horses were found emaciated and dehydrated in late May on a 150-acre pasture lot off Maaloa Road that Butler-Brady leases from the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.

Dr. Rebecca Rhoades, executive director of the Kauai Humane Society, said the lack of food and water were the greatest problems facing all of the horses, which also were infected with parasites.

Each count is a misdemeanor offense punishable by a maximum fine of $2,000 and one year in jail.