Man arrested in sex incident aboard plane
A passenger aboard a Hawaiian Airlines flight from the Philippines to Honolulu has been detained on a federal charge of abusive sexual contact aboard an aircraft.
Luavalu Seuva’ai, 22, of American Samoa was arrested by the FBI at Honolulu Airport at about noon Thursday.
Seuva’ai was scheduled to be arraigned Monday in U.S. District Court in Honolulu.
He was aboard Hawaiian Airlines Flight 456 from Manila to Honolulu.
The FBI declined to release details pending his arraignment hearing.
Student must be escorted to WCC classes
A student who was acquitted by reason of insanity of attempted murder involving an attack on two hikers will be escorted to and from his classes at Windward Community College.
The college and Hawaii State Hospital reached the decision after a Circuit Court judge recently allowed Benjamin Davis to attend classes unsupervised. He is registered to take English classes twice a week.
In February 2009, Davis attacked two hikers on Koko Crater. One of the two hikers, Nicholas Iwamoto, was repeatedly stabbed by Davis and thrown from the crater rim. He suffered a broken neck and a skull fracture.
Davis was ordered placed under the custody of the State Hospital to receive treatment for schizophrenia.
On Aug. 7, Circuit Judge Richard Perkins granted Davis’ request to attend classes unsupervised, which sparked public concern. That prompted Chancellor Douglas Dykstra to meet with the State Hospital administrator to discuss security issues, according to a statement by Dykstra.
NEIGHBOR ISLANDS
Kokee Road closed by blaze
A wildfire that broke out early Friday on state land prompted the closure of Kokee Road, Kauai County officials said in a news release.
Traffic was diverted to Waimea Canyon Drive.
There was no threat to structures, but power was shut off to a nearby area where Department of Water storage tanks are located, officials said. As a cautionary measure, the Department of Water requested that Kekaha residents and visitors restrict water consumption to essential uses until power is restored.
Shortly after midnight Thursday, firefighters responded to the fire near Pokii Ridge off of Kokee Road.
Roughly 10 acres were scorched before crews had the blaze under control at about 4 a.m., but the fire flared up later Friday.
The state Department of Land and Natural Resources took over fighting the wildfire, but county firefighters remained on scene to assist DLNR personnel in extinguishing hot spots.
The cause of the fire was not immediately known.
Suspect faces theft charges
Hawaii island police charged 20-year-old Dennis Duane Lipps Jr. with burglary and several financial crimes.
The Pahoa man allegedly entered the home of a Nanawale Estates couple July 15 and took personal checks and other items, police said.
Detectives arrested Lipps on Monday and charged him Wednesday with one count of first-degree burglary, two counts of second-degree theft, two counts of second-degree forgery, one count of second-degree identity theft, one count of third-degree identity theft and one count of third-degree theft.
Lipps’ bail was set at $101,000.
