POLICE BEAT
Fire guts kitchen at Kaimuki eatery
Advertiser Staff
A fire destroyed the kitchen at Kaimuki Chop Suey on Wai'alae Avenue yesterday morning.
Fire investigators have not determined the cause of the blaze, and an estimate of damage has not been totaled.
The blaze happened about 5:45 a.m. at the eatery, at the corner of 12th and Wai'alae avenues.
According to initial reports, flames were coming out of the top of the building.
Police briefly blocked off streets in the area while firefighters fought the flames.
OREGON MAN DROWNS OFF LA'IE
A 53-year-old Oregon man apparently drowned yesterday in waters off La'ie, police said.
Firefighters pulled the man from the water at Pounders Beach about 3:30 p.m. They administered cardio-pulmonary resuscitation until paramedics arrived.
The man, whose identity was not released, was pronounced dead at Kahuku Hospital.
WOMAN, 46, DIES IN BIG ISLAND CRASH
A 46-year-old woman died yesterday after a one-car crash on Saddle Road on the Big Island.
The crash happened about 10:19 a.m., when the woman lost control of the 2006 Ford Ranger pickup truck she was driving and ran off the road. The truck flipped over, and the woman was thrown from the vehicle, police said.
The woman was pronounced dead at the Hilo Medical Center at 2:05 p.m. Police have not released her name, pending notification of her family.
Police are investigating whether drugs and alcohol were involved in the crash. The woman was not wearing a seatbelt.
Anyone with information on the crash is asked to call 961-2293.
The traffic fatality is the 23rd on the Big Island this year, compared with 20 at the same time in 2006.
SUSPECT ARRESTED IN BANK ROBBERY
Police arrested a 41-year-old man yesterday in connection with the robbery of a Bank of Hawaii in Pearlridge on Aug. 3.
The man was arrested about 8 a.m. in a room at the Queen Kapiolani Hotel.
Police said the man is accused of robbing the Bank of Hawaii at 94-211 Pali Momi St. about 5:40 p.m. on Aug. 3, presenting a teller with a note demanding money and fleeing with an undisclosed amount of cash.
WOMAN CHARGED IN KONA ARSON
Big Island police have charged a 25-year-old woman with starting three structure fires on Thursday.
Laura Pinder, of no permanent address, was charged with three counts of arson. Her bail was set at $150,000.
Police said Pinder is accused of starting fires at three businesses on Kopiko Street in Kailua, Kona, about 3 a.m. Thursday.
Damage totaled $250,000.
