POLICE BEAT
Injured Napali tourist rescued
Advertiser Staff
Kaua'i fire rescue specialists yesterday attended to a 37-year-old woman tourist from Austin, Texas, who broke her ankle during a hike on the Napali Coast.
According to a Kaua'i County news release, the woman slipped and fell about a half-mile from Kalalau Falls. A companion hiked out of the valley and called for help at 1:35 p.m. using an emergency telephone at the trailhead.
The fire department helicopter and three rescue specialists from the Lihu'e station reached the injured woman at 2:15 p.m.
She was taken by helicopter to Princeville Airport and then to Wilcox Hospital at about 3:30 p.m.
3 MEN ARRESTED IN DISPUTE OVER DEBTS
Honolulu police have investigated two separate cases involving the forceful collection of debts in which the supposed victim is suspected of stealing artworks.
Three men have been arrested and released pending further investigation in the case.
Two men, ages 27 and 19, were arrested Wednesday on suspicion of trying to collect $20,000 from Francis X. Blackwell, 59, at 420 Ward Ave. Another man, 37, was arrested at Aloha Tower Marketplace Thursday on suspicion of taking a handbag and kicking a parked car during a confrontation with Blackwell over a debt.
Blackwell, who has no permanent local address, was named in a Honolulu CrimeStoppers bulletin this month as someone police sought to question in an investigation of the theft of $50,500 worth of artworks from Island Art Galleries at Aloha Tower Marketplace.
Blackwell formerly worked as director of the gallery.
Blackwell was tracked to a Kapolei residence last Monday and arrested on suspicion of first-degree theft. He was released pending further investigation on Wednesday, shortly before the first incident on Ward Avenue occurred.
The alleged shakedowns are not connected to the art-theft case, police said.
FERTILIZER THEFT SUSPECT ARRESTED
Theft and identity-theft charges were pending yesterday against a man arrested yesterday in 'Ewa on suspicion of trying to steal fertilizer from a farm.
The man, 37, was a passenger in a vehicle that was prevented from leaving the farm when the farm owner locked the gates. The driver fled and remained at large.
The man arrested at the 'Ewa Beach farm has no permanent local address and has six convictions, according to Hawai'i Criminal Justice Data Center records.
During booking on theft charges, police said, they found he had an identity card belonging to a 50-year-old woman.
ARREST FOLLOWS VANDALISM OF CAR
A fugitive with 32 convictions was arrested in Mokule'ia Saturday on suspicion of trying to break into a visiting Canadian couple's rental car.
Joseph M. Kahawai, no permanent local address, was being held on an outstanding $11,000 warrant. He was arrested at 12:50 p.m. Saturday and booked on suspicion of unauthorized entry into a vehicle and driving without a license.
A man, 23, and woman, 21, told police they returned from swimming to find a man trying to tear off the top of their convertible.
As they approached, the man fled and drove away, but the couple were able to provide a description and license plate numbers to police.
WAHIAWA MAN FACES SEX CHARGE
A Wahiawa man has been charged with first-degree sexual assault involving a minor.
Bail for Mathew K. Ching, 28, was set at $50,000 pending an appearance today in District Court.
The offense was reported to police Saturday at 1:25 a.m., and Ching was charged at 10:40 p.m.
