A 58-year-old Aina Haina woman who allegedly used stolen credit cards to make thousands of dollars in fraudulent purchases at upscale retailers over a six-month period is being held in lieu of $500,000 bail.
Kathleen Watanabe entered a plea of not guilty Thursday to a total of 23 counts of first-degree theft, first-degree identity theft, second-degree theft, second-degree identity theft, fraudulent use of a credit card, and unauthorized possession of confidential personal information.
Police said they investigated several cases of credit card fraud reported Nov. 21 to March 2 by three women.
At Watanabe’s arraignment in Circuit Court, Judge Richard Perkins scheduled her trial for the week of Aug. 3 and assigned Circuit Judge Karen Ahn to the case. Watanabe is being held at the Oahu Community Correctional Center.
An Oahu grand jury indicted Watanabe last week. Police arrested her May 21 at her home.
Man hurt in fall off Diamond Head Road
A man was in critical condition Thursday after falling 30 to 35 feet onto rocks and coral off Diamond Head Road between the lighthouse and scenic lookout.
Emergency Medical Services said the incident occurred at about 1:05 p.m. The victim is in his 20s or early 30s.
Man charged with sexually assaulting girl
A Hawaii island man was charged Monday with a sexual assault on a female minor.
Wendell Reed Santiago, 42, of Pahoa has been charged with first-degree sexual assault and promoting intoxicating liquor to a person under the age of 21.
The charges stemmed from an incident in Pahoa to which police responded at 4:10 a.m. Sunday, police said.
911 emergency phone system repaired
Hawaiian Telcom officials said Honolulu’s 911 system was working normally Thursday night after fixes were made when the emergency system was beset by technical problems.
Hawaiian Telcom spokeswoman Ann Nishida Fry said Oahu 911 calls were routed to an alternative system and began working normally at 6 p.m. Thursday. Police said the 911 system was running smoothly Thursday night.
For a little more than an hour, police were asking that people call 911 only for emergencies. The problems surfaced at about 4:50 p.m. Thursday.
