Man charged with owning 4 piranhas, boa constrictor
The alleged owner of a boa constrictor and four piranhas found by firefighters in a home on Alewa Heights last year is facing charges that could send him to prison for five years.
An Oahu grand jury returned an indictment Thursday charging Ricardo S. Newcomb Jr. with possessing the 5-foot-long snake and the 5-inch-long fish with the intent to propagate them. Boa constrictors and piranhas are banned by the state Department of Agriculture.
The charge involving the boa is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and a mandatory fine of up to $10,000. The charge involving the piranhas is a class C felony punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine between $50,000 and $200,000.
Honolulu firefighters found the animals in a home Feb. 24, 2011, while responding to fires at four homes near Lolena and Iholena streets. The animals were not harmed.
NEIGHBOR ISLANDS
Skull of youth found in Kula is decades old
A human skull found in Kula is believed to be that of a child or teenager, according to findings Thursday by the Maui medical examiner.
The medical examiner also determined that the skull, which has deteriorated greatly, is more than 50 years old, so it will be turned over the Department of Land and Natural Resources for burial, Maui police said.
A group of hunters discovered the skull Saturday just below the Waiohuli Hawaiian Homes subdivision in Kula. Because it is old, police said no criminal investigation will be conducted.
Man charged after threats, home standoff
Hawaii County police have charged a 64-year-old Glenwood man who allegedly threatened neighbors with a machete, then barricaded himself inside his Puna house on Monday for 181⁄2 hours.
Dasa Sivam was charged Wednesday with criminal trespassing, promoting a detrimental drug and two counts of first-degree terroristic threatening.
