Woman dies as SUV crashes and overturns
A 29-year-old Kula woman died Friday in an SUV crash on Piilani Highway in West Maui.
The crash happened around 2 p.m. after the woman apparently drove off the right side of the road while heading toward Kula in Kanaio, said Maui Fire Department acting Battalion Chief Ben Bland. The victim was idenfied as Rachelle Kibbee.
She was partially ejected, then became trapped under the overturned Jeep Cherokee, Bland said. She was pronounced dead at the scene. A dog that was also in the SUV survived, apparently without serious injuries. Police closed the road near the 31-mile marker to investigate.
Trolley fall victim was Hokkaido man
The city medical examiner’s office identified the 71-year-old Japanese visitor who died after falling off an E Noa Tours trolley just outside Ala Moana Center Monday afternoon as Shizuo Tsukada from Hokkaido.
Tsukada died of head injuries sustained in the fall. The death is classified as accidental.
Police said he was standing near the right side exit at the middle of the trolley as it left the shopping center. When the driver made a left turn onto Ala Moana Boulevard toward Waikiki, the man fell onto the roadway, police said. He was pronounced dead at 11:53 p.m. at the Queen’s Medical Center.
Kailua man, 58, accused of sexual assault
A 58-year-old Kailua man was charged in connection with a sexual assault and kidnapping earlier this month.
Robert W. Trudeau of North Kainalu Drive is accused of holding a woman, 19, against her will and sexually assaulting her at a Kailua home. The incident allegedly took place from about 10:15 to 11:05 a.m. Sept. 8.
Trudeau was arrested Thursday morning and was charged in the evening. He is being held on $75,000 bail.
Thieves make off with FAA’s solar panels
Hawaii County police are investigating the theft of large solar panels from a Federal Aviation Administration navigation facility in Puna.
The facility is on Highway 130 just past the 7-mile marker near Makuu Farm Lots. It is one of several that send signals to commercial airlines flying in the Pacific region.
Sometime between Sept. 13 and 17, thieves took 12 panels and damaged two. Between Sunday and Thursday, thieves used a vehicle to ram the front gate and remove 10 additional panels.
Police ask that anyone with information call officer Matthew Bartz at 965-2716 or the Police Department’s nonemergency line at 935-3311.
Fisherman is saved from sinking kayak
Kauai County lifeguards rescued a fisherman Friday afternoon off Anini Beach after the kayak he and another man were in began to sink.
The 41-year-old Kapaa man was unharmed.
He was fishing in the Anini channel with a friend, another Kapaa man, 40. They were about 300 yards from shore when the kayak took on water at about 12:55 p.m.
The younger man swam to shore to get help while the older man stayed with the kayak.
Lifeguards from the Hanalei tower responded, bringing the man safely to shore. They then retrieved the kayak.
The man declined treatment and was released.
