A former assistant coach for the Lana'i High School girls basketball team pleaded guilty to providing players with liquor in 2005 but will get a chance to have the case dropped if he performs 210 hours of community service and pays the state $1,400.

Dale Kapua pleaded guilty to seven misdemeanor counts related to providing liquor to the players during a 2005 preseason tournament in Mililani.

Part-time District Judge James Dannenberg granted Kapua's request to have the case dropped if he stays out of trouble for a year.

Kapua and Russell Zablan, the team's former coach, were both fired following the incident.

Zablan also pleaded guilty last month to misdemeanor charges of providing the liquor to the players. He also will get a chance to have the case dropped in a year if he pays $1,400 to the state and performs 210 hours of community service.

BOARD OPPOSES HOUSING PROPOSAL

The Kuli'ou'ou/Kalani Iki Neighborhood Board last night opposed a developer's plan to build 15 housing units — some 34 feet tall — upslope of 'Aina Haina Elementary School and will send a letter to the city outlining its concerns.

The developer, who has been working on the project with the city for the past 18 months, said it was at the city's suggestion that he came up with the cluster proposal, said Kent Untermann, of L& K Investments LLC.

Nearly 100 residents turned out to hear about the proposed development, called Wailupe Mauka. In a show of hands, about 90 people indicated that they opposed the plan for two six-unit buildings and three townhomes because of unstable soil, concerns about drainage, traffic and the possibility that the development might pave the way for other cluster projects along hillsides in East Honolulu.

"You all have made it pretty clear what you don't like," Untermann said. "We're open to change. But there are various factors that make our decision: the city, the building codes, the market and the economy. This wasn't our first choice to build. We had initially planned seven homes on this site."

The project is up for review by the city's Department of Planning and Permitting for a cluster housing permit.

CANDIDATES WILL DISCUSS POSITIONS

The Pearl City Community Association and the 'Aiea Community Association are co-sponsoring a "political ho'olaulea" tonight at the Momilani Recreation Center in Pearl City.

The event will begin at 5:30 p.m. with dinner (hot dogs, fried noodles, juice) followed at 6 with candidates for offices in Pearl City and 'Aiea giving short presentations. Board of Education candidates will be participating, but not those in congressional, governor and lieutenant governor races.

MASSEUR ACCUSED OF SEXUAL ASSAULT

A 45-year-old man accused of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old Mainland visitor at a Waikiki hotel made his initial appearance in District Court yesterday.

Reginald Comilang, a massage therapist, is charged with one count of first-degree sex assault. The alleged attack occurred at the Outrigger Reef Hotel during a massage session. Comilang is free on $20,000 bail.

TRIO ARRESTED IN BREAK-IN AT PARK

A 19-year-old man and two women, ages 26 and 30, were arrested Wednesday afternoon after a witness reported seeing the trio take items from a tourist's car that had been parked at Sunset Beach Park.

Police issued an all-points bulletin, and the car carrying the three suspects was stopped near Kukuna Road and Park Place in Hau'ula.

Items that were taken from the tourist's car were found in the suspects' car, police said.

The three were arrested on suspicion of unlawful entry into a motor vehicle and detaining stolen property.

FAMILY ARRESTED IN POLICE SCUFFLE

Four members of a Nanakuli family and a friend of the family were arrested Wednesday night after they got into an altercation with police officers who were attempting make an arrest at the home.

A 20-year-old man told police he was sitting behind the wheel of his car when one of the family members, a 20-year-old man, reached into the car and punched him in the face.

Police said the man reported being punched and that officers located the suspect at the family home.

Officers were attempting to arrest the assault suspect when the other family members began interfering, police said.

Three police officers received minor injuries in the fray.

Arrested on suspicion of first-degree assault against a law enforcement officer were a 19-year-old woman, two 20-year-old men, a 26-year-old man and a 48-year-old man.

One of the 20-year-old men was also arrested on suspicion of unlawful entry into a motor vehicle in connection with the alleged assault of the motorist.

ACCESS ROAD CLOSED TO TRAFFIC

'Aiea Access Road between Moanalua Road and Kamehameha Highway will be closed to traffic from 9 this morning until 4:30 a.m. Monday for roadway work.