Army soldier pleads not guilty to murder
A 40-year-old Army master sergeant pleaded not guilty Monday in Circuit Court to charges he killed his wife two months ago in their Waikiki high-rise apartment.
Master Sgt. Leonardo Chavez will be tried on a charge of second-degree murder beginning the week of Feb. 3 before Circuit Judge Edward Kubo.
He is accused of killing his wife, Tara Isnin, 33, on Oct. 28. The couple had been married for two months, and friends said the victim was contemplating a divorce. Chavez, from the Dominican Republic, is being held at Oahu Community Correctional Center, unable to post $1 million bail. Chavez was released Nov. 26 from Tripler Army Medical Center, where he had been hospitalized after trying to kill himself.
Water restored after landslides affect Waimea
Water service was restored in Waimea on Monday after landslides overnight Sunday closed Menehune Road on Kauai, according to county officials.
Kauai police responding after midnight Sunday found boulders, tree branches and mud covering Menehune Road, just north of the Waimea Swinging Bridge.
The fallen boulders, ranging from 5 to 15 feet in diameter, damaged a water main and obstructed nearby ditches, causing minor flooding.
The water main break resulted in a water outage for roughly 25 customers.
The landslide also damaged one home’s utility service line, causing that residence to go without power.
Officials alternated traffic on Menehune Road while crews worked to clear the roadway of debris.
Man’s body found in ocean off Big Island
Hawaii County fire personnel recovered the body of a 79-year-old Kohala man Monday morning in the ocean off the North Kohala Coast.
Fire officials said the man’s body was reported at about 11:20 a.m.
It was seen floating face down in the water near Old Halaula Lighthouse Road in Kapaau.
Two fire helicopters were used to recover the body, which was found 200 yards offshore, fire officials said. The man’s family was at the scene, a fire official said.
The cause of death remained undetermined Monday, but fire officials said the man may have drowned.
