Man pleads not guilty to Nanakuli house fire

A 50-year-old man has pleaded not guilty to setting a house on fire in Nanakuli and damaging neighboring homes.

Jonathan Laronal appeared Monday in Circuit Court via closed-circuit video link from the Oahu Community Correctional Center on charges of one count of first-degree arson and two counts of fourth-degree arson.

A deputy public defender entered a not-guilty plea to all charges on Laronal’s behalf. Circuit Judge Colette Garibaldi set his trial for April and confirmed his bail at $50,000.

An Oahu grand jury had charged Laronal with arson in connection with a large fire that destroyed a structure and damaged neighboring homes on Jan. 30.

Boy, 14, drives SUV into Kailua restaurant

A 14-year-old boy was injured Monday afternoon when he apparently drove an SUV through the wall of a Chinese restaurant in Kailua. The incident occurred around 2:45 p.m. at New Chinese Garden on Uluniu Street. The crash caused a large hole in the wall.

The boy was transported in serious condition to a local trauma center. No other injuries were reported. It is not known how the boy came to be in control of the vehicle.