Search for swimmer suspended

The Coast Guard suspended last night a search for a missing swimmer in waters off the Big Island’s Kakapa Bay.

The Hawaii County Fire Department received a call of a swimmer in distress and searched but could not find anything Thursday. The Coast Guard stopped its search yesterday, saying there were no reports of a missing person.

Shoplift charge is boosted to felony

A man who had been banned from a Kapolei store because of a shoplifting case went back to the store Wednesday evening where he allegedly stole items again.

The Waipahu man, 32, was originally arrested for fourth-degree theft, or shoplifting, a petty misdemeanor. But because he had been given a written warning not to enter the store, prosecutors upgraded the charge to second-degree burglary, a felony, police said.

Emergency shuts down H-1 onramp

A medical emergency may have contributed to the cause of a crash that shut down the westbound Punchbowl Street onramp to the H-1 freeway at about 9:45 yesterday morning.

A woman in her 90s was taken in critical condition to a nearby hospital where she was later pronounced dead, said Bryan Cheplic, a spokesman for the city Department of Emergency Services. She was apparently a passenger in the car and may have suffered a medical condition just before the accident, Cheplic said. The onramp was reopened at about 10:30 a.m.

NEIGHBOR ISLANDS

Man given 10 years in beating

WAILUKU » A 24-year-old Maui man who beat up his neighbor has been sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Gerald Gamit had pleaded no contest to first-degree assault for last year’s beating of 62-year-old Roland Tanner, who suffered the loss of sight in one eye.

Gamit admitted in court that he had been drinking, was high on drugs and was not thinking clearly when he beat Tanner after his neighbor returned home from walking his 10-year-old daughter to school.

Gamit was also convicted of firing gunshots in a separate incident at Kalama Park during a confrontation with a security guard and his family.

No one was wounded, but Circuit Judge Richard Bissen told Gamit he was lucky none of the bullets killed anyone.

Police seek help in theft of tractor

Hawaii police are investigating the theft in Hamakua of a tractor and grass cutter with a combined value of more than $30,000.

The John Deere model 4320 tractor was parked along Kamaee Road and had a Gearmore Flail grass cutter, model GEMR69, attached. The two pieces of equipment were valued at $34,590 and removed sometime between Aug. 19 and 20, police said.

Police ask anyone with information about the theft or the location of the items to call police at 935-3311.

To remain anonymous, call CrimeStoppers at 961-8300 in Hilo or 329-8181 in Kona.