3 arrested in meth investigation

Maui police have arrested three people in Haiku and seized crystal methamphetamine and cocaine valued at more than $660,000.

Officers seized 4.6 pounds of crystal meth worth an estimated $627,750 and three-quarters of a pound of cocaine worth an estimated $33,895, the Maui County Police Department reported yesterday.

Vice officers arrested two men and a woman Oct. 7 at a Haiku home, ending a monthlong investigation, police said.

The suspects were booked for investigation of first-degree methamphetamine trafficking, first-degree promoting a dangerous drug and two drug paraphernalia counts.

They were released pending further investigation. 

Man released after alleged arson

A 38-year-old Waialua man, arrested in connection with a 500-acre brush fire last month near Poamoho Camp, was released yesterday, but police say he remains a suspect.

"We didn’t have enough to charge him," said police Criminal Investigation Division Lt. Lisa Mann. "The investigation is ongoing."

The man was arrested at about 9 a.m. Wednesday on suspicion of first-degree arson.

Mann said more than one person may be involved in the Poamoho Camp fire, which came close to several family homes Sept. 16.

Six suspicious brush fires in Central Oahu over the past two weeks are being investigated. Anyone with information is asked to call the Criminal Investigation Division at 529-3115.

Kipapa Gulch fire closes highway

The cause of a small brush fire in Kipapa Gulch that forced officials to close a 2-mile stretch of Kamehameha Highway yesterday has not been determined, a Honolulu Fire Department spokesman said.

The road was closed in both directions between Ka Uka Boulevard in Waipio and Lanikuhana Avenue in Mililani while firefighters battled the blaze, which started at about 1:35 p.m.

The 500-square-foot fire burned near 94-498 Kamehameha Highway and was extinguished by 1:55 p.m., said Honolulu fire Capt. Gary Lum.

The area has been subject to a number of suspicious brush fires in recent weeks.

Search for bodyboarder suspended

The search for a 33-year-old Pahoa bodyboarder who disappeared in big surf off Kaimu Beach on the Big Island’s South Shore has been suspended.

Firefighters searched for three days after Paul Currier was reported missing at about 4 p.m. Monday. Yesterday they searched 11 miles of coastline and up to two miles from shore, said Hawaii County Battalion Chief Matthias Kusch.

Man, 56, gets 40-year term for assault

LIHUE » A 56-year-old Kauai man convicted of kidnapping and attempted first-degree sexual assault has been sentenced to 40 years in prison.

Circuit Judge Kathleen Watanabe ruled Tuesday that James Mundon must serve 20 years for each offense and that the terms are to run consecutively.

The Garden Island newspaper reported that Watanabe agreed with county Prosecutor Shaylene Iseri-Carvalho that Mundon is a threat to society.

Iseri-Carvalho said Mundon has a long history of violent acts, including convictions for family abuse, assault and harassment. He was on probation in 2004 when a young female visitor from Canada was attacked.

Mundon has been found guilty twice. His first conviction was reversed by an appellate court.

Maui sets rules for ban on plastic bags

WAILUKU » Maui County is gearing up to implement its plastic bag ban.

The Maui News says Mayor Charmaine Tavares issued the final administrative rules Wednesday. They provide guidelines for the ordinance as well as consequences for not following it.

The law that was passed more than two years ago takes effect Jan. 11. It bans the use of plastic bags by retailers, grocery stores and others.

The ordinance bans so-called "T-shirt bags." The typical plastic bags are less than 1 millimeter thick and are found everywhere from department stores to gas stations. Essentially, the law will only allow for the use of the bags for the sale of raw meat.

The law calls for an initial $500 fine, then a $500-a-day fine until a store is in compliance.