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Two people were convicted Thursday in the first two District Court trials on Hawaii island against protesters of the Thirty Meter Telescope atop Mauna Kea.
District Judge Barbara Takase found Ronald Fujiyoshi and Linda Lindsey-Kaapuni guilty of obstructing Mauna Kea Access Road.
On April 2, Fuji- yoshi was in the middle of Mauna Kea Access Road in front of the Mauna Kea visitors center, while Lindsey-Kaapuni was in a graveled portion of the road, said Hawaii County Deputy Prosecutor Britt Bailey.
The prosecution requested six months’ probation and a court order that they stay off Mauna Kea Access Road for the period of probation. Prosecutors also requested 72 hours of community service in lieu of a $500 fine.
Fujiyoshi asked for a jail sentence and was sentenced to five days. He will serve one day in jail, with credit for time served; six months’ probation; and was ordered to remain off the access road. Lindsey-Kaapuni argued against probation and was sentenced to 100 hours of community service.
Fire damages Kihei home
A residential structure fire in Kihei on Thursday resulted in $300,000 worth of damage to a two-story Kawailani Circle home, according to the Maui Fire Department.
Firefighters responding to a 3:08 p.m. alarm found flames coming from a first-floor window at the back of the home, spreading to the attic space above. The fire was extinguished by 6:15 p.m.
Damage was estimated at $250,000 to the structure and $50,000 to its contents. The cause of the fire was undetermined.
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