Fourth officer in overtime scam to appear in court

The last of the four police officers charged with falsifying documents in an alleged overtime scam is scheduled to appear in Circuit Court later this month.

Sgt. Aaron Bernal will enter a plea Oct. 24.

Bernal and three other officers — Christopher and Patrick Bugarin and Sgt. Duke Zoller — are accused of theft and tampering with government records in connection with an alleged scheme by members of a DUI traffic enforcement unit.

The Bugarin brothers and Zoller have entered pleas of not guilty and are scheduled for trial before Circuit Judge Ed Kubo on Nov. 14.

In May, Kubo dismissed the charges against the four police officers because the case had taken too long to go to trial. Kubo, however, allowed prosecutors to refile the case.

Prosecutors refiled charges against the four officers, who are accused of putting the names of Bernal and Zoller on arrest reports to show they were at DUI checkpoints when they were not there. Prosecutors allege the officers added the names so the sergeants could get overtime if DUI defendants challenged the arrests, which would require the sergeants’ presence in court.

Bernal and Zoller are additionally charged with theft and being an accomplice to theft.

Two other officers were found not guilty in May. A third officer pleaded guilty in March.

APEC climate talks to be held at East-West Center

The University of Hawaii is hosting the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation’s climate symposium.

The annual APEC symposium at the East-West Center in Honolulu begins today and ends Thursday.

Organizers say the symposium brings together more than 50 climate scientists from around the Pacific Rim. They will discuss concerns such as the effects of climate change on agriculture, global warming and the accuracy of climate predictions.

The keynote speaker will be Rosina Bierbaum, dean of the University of Michigan’s School of Natural Resources and Environment. She will speak today at 7 p.m. at the UH Art Auditorium. For more information, call 956-9252.

Consultant hired for bridge designs

Kauai County has hired a consultant to develop design alternatives for improving three bridges in Kapaa and Wailua.

KAI Hawaii Inc., a structural engineering firm, is conducting geotechnical studies and surveying the land around the Kapahi, Opaekaa and Puuopae bridges.

The company began preliminary studies for the project Friday. The studies are expected to be completed by the end of the year. Data collected will be used for design alternatives to improve the bridges.

Community meetings to gather public input on the bridge improvements will be scheduled over the next few months.

People with questions about the project can call Mike Hunneman of KAI Hawaii at 791-3980.

E-waste recycling planned on Kauai

Residents and businesses on Kauai can drop off unneeded electronic items at an e-waste recycling event this week in Lihue.

The two-day event will be held in the Vi­dinha Stadium parking lot on Friday for businesses and Saturday for residents. It will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day.

Among the items that will be accepted are computers, fax machines, monitors, printers, stereo equipment and televisions. There is no charge.

"It’s important for all of us to divert as much waste as possible from our landfill in order to preserve precious landfill space and manage potentially harmful items," Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. said.

Items collected will be shipped to Total Reclaim, a Seattle electronics recycling firm.

For more information, go to www.kauai.gov/recycling or call the County Recycling Office at 241-4841.