Trial set in alleged road rage
A Circuit Court jury trial for the 47-year-old woman caught on video in a road rage incident last month will be held in January.
Kimberly Ong entered a plea of not guilty to a charge of unauthorized entry into a vehicle Thursday.
Her trial is set for the week of Jan. 5.
Police said the violation allegedly happened Sept. 10 in Moanalua and was captured on cellphone video that was subsequently posted on Facebook and YouTube by the alleged victim, Ryan Arakaki.
The incident started when Arakaki pulled around Ong’s minivan, which was stopped on Radford Drive. Arakaki said Ong was looking at her mobile phone and that her vehicle was not moving.
At one point the video shows Ong leaving her minivan, approaching Arakaki’s pickup, screaming obscenities and challenging him to step outside. The situation escalates when Ong allegedly reaches into Arakaki’s vehicle and swipes at his phone. Arakaki eventually drives away.
Ong turned herself in to police.
Unauthorized entry into a vehicle is a Class C felony that could result in a maximum five years in jail. Ong is free after posting bail of $5,000.
Meeting involves housing plans
The second in a series of public informational meetings on the city’s affordable-housing strategy will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday at Waipahu District Park.
The public is encouraged to attend, participate and make suggestions following presentations to be made by Mayor Kirk Caldwell, Transit-Oriented Development Administrator Harrison Rue and city Housing Director Jun Yang.
Caldwell’s Islandwide Housing Strategy proposes a series of changes designed to infuse the city with more than 4,000 new affordable housing units over five years.
Among the changes: giving developers and property owners more incentives for providing rentals and keeping homes at affordable rates for longer periods.
Also proposed is a loosening of accessory, or ohana, dwelling laws.
Those who plan to attend the meeting and require special assistance such as wheelchair access or language interpretation should call Cheryl Nitta at 768-4204 or email cnitta1@honolulu.gov at least three days before the meeting. The meeting will also be broadcast live on ‘Olelo channel 49.
To see a copy of the strategy and an executive summary, visit: www.honoluludpp.org.
Man accused of Hilo burglary
Hawaii County police have charged a 20-year-old Hilo man for allegedly burglarizing a Hilo residence Monday. Police arrested Tyler Leopoldino and two others Thursday in connection with the burglary, in which jewelry and electronic items were removed from a Kaumana Drive home.
Leopoldino was charged Friday with first-degree burglary and second-degree theft. His bail was set at $7,000.
The two others arrested — a 43-year-old woman and a 45-year-old man, both with no permanent address — were released Friday pending further investigation.
Work kicks off for bus shelters
Work started in Kapahi on Tuesday on the first phase of Kauai County’s islandwide bus shelter project.
The Kapahi shelter is across from the Menehune Food Mart. Five others will be built: Waimea, next to Ishihara Market; Hanapepe, next to the armory; Lawai, across from the post office; Hanamaulu, near Laukona Road; and Kilauea, next to the Menehune Food Mart.
The remaining bus shelters will be constructed over the next few years as funding becomes available.
Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. acknowledged the organizations that have committed to putting up the shelters, including the Boy Scouts, the Kauai Filipino Community Council and the Rotary and Lions clubs.
