Ex-officer gets 20-year term

A retired Los Angeles police detective has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for the 2006 beating death of his wife.

The reported that Circuit Judge Ronald Ibarra said during sentencing Wednesday that Dan DeJarnette, 59, in killing his wife, had done the opposite from what had earned him a commendable career in law enforcement.

In November 2006, DeJarnette told police he found his wife, Yu DeJarnette, 56, lying on a lava embankment near their home in the Hawaiian Ocean View Estates subdivision in Kau. She was pronounced dead from head trauma at a hospital.

An autopsy later revealed she had two gaping wounds from a tire iron.

DeJarnette pleaded guilty in March to manslaughter while under extreme emotional distress.

DeJarnette moved to Hawaii after his 2003 LAPD retirement.

Clam farm wins state approval

A Kekaha-based company received approval by the state Department of Health to farm and sell shellfish. Sunrise Capitol Inc., doing business as Kauai Clams, is the first operation in the state in 26 years to receive approval for such work from the Health Department.

Hawaiian Seafood Gardens was the last shellfish operation in the state. The company shut down in 1997 because of financial reasons.

Farming and selling shellfish are covered by strict state and federal requirements to ensure food safety. Kauai Clams will first sell its products on the Garden Island and will eventually expand distribution statewide as production increases.