Teen’s death deemed accidental drowning
Both the Honolulu police and state have completed their investigations into the death of 17-year-old Leighton Mow at Kapena Falls on Labor Day and consider the case closed.
The Medical Examiner’s Office said Mow, who would have been a senior at Moanalua High School, drowned while swimming at Kapena Falls. The manner of the death was accidental, the medical examiner said.
Kapena Falls is under the jurisdiction of the state. The Department of Land and Natural Resources said its investigation into the matter has been completed. "DLNR has no further comment on this matter," a spokesman said this week.
On Sept. 1, Mow was with friends when he walked off and never came back. Honolulu firefighters found his body hours later at the bottom of the pond.
He had been with a group of nine to 10 friends who arrived at Kapena Falls, off Pali Highway in Nuuanu.
A Honolulu Fire Department official said the teenager told friends he was going to the restroom, and they began to worry when they were unable to locate him. The friends conducted a search and called the boy’s parents, who went to Kapena Falls. Fire rescue divers found the teen’s body at the bottom of the pond.
In 2009 a 32-year-old man died after jumping about 10 feet into the pool at Kapena Falls.
State reopens Maui beach
Kaanapali Beach on Maui was reopened Friday afternoon following a shark attack Thursday.
A 50-year-old tourist from Homer, Alaska, was bitten by a shark, sustaining a 12-inch bite on his upper left leg.
State Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement officials said the incident happened at 1:30 p.m., after which the beach area was closed. It was reopened following a helicopter flyover, during which no shark was spotted.
State officials said the victim was snorkeling in 20 feet of water when he caught a glimpse of the shark, about 5 feet long, then "felt a bump and immediate pain."
Suspect faces stricter charges
A 22-year-old Big Island man is facing an "enhanced penalty" tied to allegedly trying to break into a 60-year-old Puna woman’s home and pickup truck while an emergency declaration is in place for the Puna district.
Hawaii County police have charged Sebastian Hernandez of Keaau with unauthorized entry of a motor vehicle and attempted burglary in connection with an incident that occurred Wednesday morning in the Hawaiian Paradise Park subdivision.
Hernandez’s attempted-burglary charge was enhanced from a Class B felony to a Class A felony, punishable by up to 20 years in prison with no possibility of probation. Hernandez was also charged with contempt of court for an unrelated matter.
Hawaii County Mayor Billy Kenoi in September proclaimed a state of emergency in the Puna district because of the ongoing lava flow from Kilauea Volcano. Certain crimes carry enhanced sentencing under the declaration.
