Hawaii island police charged a 35-year-old Pahoa man Friday in connection with an assault on a man in a wheelchair on June 7.

The assault allegedly occurred around 1:16 a.m. in Pahoa town. The victim is a 57-year-old man who uses a wheelchair and does not have a permanent address.

The suspect, Christopher Mohrland, turned himself in to police Friday and was arrested and charged with two counts of third-degree assault.

He was released after posting $1,000 bail.

$10K tax credit has few takers

HILO >> The state has seen little participation in a program that offers tax credits to homeowners who upgrade from cesspools to alternative wastewater systems.

A state law providing $10,000 in tax credits for the cost of upgrading cesspools to a septic system or an aerobic tank system went into effect in January. Since then the state Department of Health has received only 11 applications, The Hawaii Tribune- Herald reported Thursday.

There are 90,000 cesspools statewide, according to the Health Department. They release about 55 million gallons of untreated sewage into the ground daily.

“When you discharge to a cesspool, most of the water is concentrated on the bottom, and you don’t really have soil treatments (for the wastewater),” said Sina Pruder, the department’s wastewater branch chief. “Because they’re dug deep, they discharge directly to groundwater.”

The law providing tax credits pertains to homeowners with cesspools located within 200 feet of the ocean, streams or a drinking water source.