HAWAI'I BRIEFS
Cabbie charged in sex assault
Advertiser Staff
A 46-year-old taxi driver was charged yesterday with the sexual assault of a woman passenger.
Adrian E. Cohen of Honolulu was charged with one count of first-degree sexual assault. His bail was set at $100,000.
Cohen is accused of picking up a 23-year-old woman in his cab late Sunday night and taking her to a Lagoon Drive location where police said the woman was sexually assaulted. The woman reported the incident to police and Cohen was arrested without incident.
MAN ACCUSED OF SEX WITH MINOR
Police last night charged a 21-year-old man with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl Monday.
Alex K. Lauriano was charged with two counts of first-degree sexual assault and three counts of third-degree sexual assault. He remained in police custody last night in lieu of $75,000 bail.
Police said Lauriano met the girl at a youth club, and the two began to date. But the girl's parents disapproved of the age difference and obtained a temporary restraining order against Lauriano, police said.
Police said the girl ran away from home late Monday night and met Lauriano at a park in Nu'uanu. Police said the girl was sexually assaulted while at the park.
In Hawai'i, it is a criminal offense for anyone to have sex with minors younger than 16 if the accused is more than five years older than the minor and is not married to the minor.
LAWSUIT CLAIMS UNLAWFUL ARREST
The American Civil Liberties Union of Hawai'i Foundation filed a federal lawsuit yesterday on behalf of two homeless advocates who were arrested on the grounds of Honolulu Hale in March while protesting the city's decision to evict homeless at Ala Moana Beach Park.
During a march of about 60 protesters, the ACLU's suit alleges, more than a dozen police officers from the Honolulu Police Department's Specialized Services Division unlawfully arrested Utu Langi and Julia Matsui Estrella.
The ACLU has also filed a motion in state District Court to drop the charges against Langi and Estrella.
KAILUA
WOMAN REPORTS CELL PHONE THEFT
A 24-year-old man was arrested in Kailua Monday night after a 53-year-old woman told police the man took a cellular telephone from her.
The woman said she was walking along a sidewalk in the 500 block of Kailua Road about 10:15 p.m. and was passing through a group of men standing on the sidewalk when one of them hit her in the shoulder, grabbed her phone, then ran, the woman told police.
Police arrived in the area, located a suspect and arrested him on suspicion of second-degree theft and third-degree assault.
