Missing woman is owner of crashed car
Maui police Tuesday identified the owner of a vehicle found at the bottom of a ravine with the body of a woman inside.
Police said the owner of the 2005 BMW Z4 was confirmed to be Jean Kini Chang, who has been reported missing. Chang was last seen Dec. 18 at her South Maui home. The car was found Saturday afternoon in a ravine off Kahekili Highway at mile marker 10.
Police said the female victim has not yet been identified, nor has the cause of death been determined, police said.
Police have ruled out foul play in this case.
Man charged in wrong-way H-2 crash
Following a yearlong investigation, a 39-year-old Ewa Beach man was charged Tuesday with hitting a pickup truck head-on after driving the wrong way on the H-2 freeway, critically injuring the truck’s driver.
Pedro Ortiz was arrested Sunday on two counts of first-degree negligent injury, driving with a suspended license and hitting several city road signs on the H-2 on Nov. 8, 2012. A drunken driving charge against Ortiz is pending, according to police. His bail was set at $25,000.
Police said the suspect drove a Toyota Sequoia SUV south in a northbound lane of the freeway, about a mile south of the Meheula Parkway overpass. The suspect’s vehicle hit the Mazda pickup truck, which was traveling north.
Ortiz entered the freeway by using the Mililani Mauka offramp and was driving south on northbound lanes when he collided with the Mazda truck, police said.
A Waipahu man who was driving the Mazda pickup was pinned in the cab of the vehicle and taken in critical condition to the hospital. The suspect sustained minor injuries.
Kona man charged with credit card theft
A 32-year-old Kona man has been charged with more than two dozen offenses linked to credit card theft and fraud.
Jonathan K. Donner was arrested Monday and charged with seven counts of fraudulent use of a credit card, seven counts of identity theft, four counts of forgery and nine counts of theft, according to Hawaii County police. Donner was also charged with criminal contempt of court in an unrelated case. His bail was set at $163,000.
In May a 55-year-old Kailua-Kona woman reported that her credit card had been stolen and used on several occasions without her permission at various merchants in Kona.
Boys helped off trail after night on ridge
Two teenage boys spent Monday night on a Koolau ridge after they were unable to complete a hike from Manoa Falls to Waahila Ridge on the other side of Manoa Valley.
Capt. Terry Seelig, Honolulu Fire Department spokesman, said the two hikers called for help at 6 p.m. Monday when it became apparent that they would be unable to complete their trek. Seelig said firefighters were able to hike to the pair at 9 a.m. Tuesday and escort them to a location from which the department’s helicopter flew them to Manoa District Park. No injuries were reported.
Suspect arrested over threat with knife
An argument about a dog’s behavior ended with the owner arrested for allegedly threatening another man with a knife Monday afternoon in Waialae.
Honolulu police said the dispute began just after 3:15 p.m. when two men quarreled over a dog’s "aggressive behavior." The dog’s 47-year-old owner allegedly then pulled a knife and threatened a 40-year-old man.
The suspect was arrested on suspicion of first-degree terroristic threatening, police said.
Electricity restored after power failure
A power outage Tuesday evening left an estimated 20,000 Hawaiian Electric Co. customers in the dark for about 45 minutes.
The first report of the outage was about 7:45 p.m., and power was fully restored at 8:30 p.m. in the affected areas, including Manoa, Kaimuki, Palolo and portions of Kahala.
HECO said a preliminary review shows the outage started after a malfunction at a Palolo electrical substation.
Hilo man dies after car hits fence, building
A 40-year-old Hilo man died early Tuesday morning when he lost control of his car and struck a fence and a building.
Hawaii County police identified the driver as Tracy S. Pack.
Police said they believe speed and alcohol contributed to the 1:49 a.m. crash in downtown Hilo.
South Hilo patrol officers said the victim was driving a 2006 Mercedes-Benz sedan south on Kinoole Street when he failed to negotiate a curve in the road, then struck a chain-link fence and a building. He was not wearing a seat belt.
Pack was pronounced dead at 4:28 a.m. at Hilo Medical Center. An autopsy will be performed to determine the cause of death, police said.
The crash marked the second traffic fatality in Hawaii County this year.
