Ex-sergeant enters plea in assault case
WAILUKU – A former Maui Police Department sergeant pleaded no contest Tuesday to amended charges of second-degree assault in a case that police said involved sexual misconduct with a teenage girl.
Paul Bailey, 45, of Kahului had been indicted on four counts of third-degree sexual assault.
As part of a plea agreement with the prosecution, Bailey pleaded no contest to two amended counts of second-degree assault. The prosecution dismissed two counts of third-degree sexual assault.
Police said the charges involved sexual misconduct with a 15-year-old girl on May 21, 2012. At the time, Bailey was a Maui police sergeant with 18 years of experience.
He was placed on administrative leave after the allegations surfaced. Police said Tuesday that Bailey is no longer a police officer.
Under terms of the plea agreement, the prosecution will recommend probation for Bailey when he is sentenced Oct. 30 in 2nd Circuit Court. The prosecution could seek up to one year in jail for Bailey. The agreement also calls for Bailey to have no contact with the victim during his probation.
Bailey is asking for a chance to keep the convictions off his record, said his attorney Ben Summit.
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Hawaiian Home Lands meeting scheduled
A Department of Hawaiian Home Lands beneficiary consultation meeting is set for 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. today at Kulana Oiwi on Molokai on amendments to administrative rules for general leases.
The proposed rules will authorize the department to extend the term of a general (nonhomestead use) lease to a maximum of 85 years for commercial or multipurpose projects, the news release about the meeting said.
Currently, 1.3 percent of Hawaiian homelands are under a general lease and generate about $10.2 million for the department annually, the news release said.
In addition to testimony at the meeting, beneficiaries have until Sept. 30 to provide comment and feedback. The feedback to the department will be compiled and reported to the Hawaiian Homes Commission in preparation for the formal rule-making process, which is expected to begin later this year.
Comments may be posted on dhhl.hawaii.gov. For more information, call (808) 620-9591.
Kulana Oiwi is located at 600 Maunaloa Highway. A meeting was held Monday on Maui.
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Energy program sees deadline extension
The application deadline for Building Operating Certification, a commercial energy management training program at the University of Hawaii Maui College, has been extended to Friday.
Hawaii Energy is sponsoring the program through the Sustainable Living Institute of Maui at UH-Maui College.
The program is a nationally recognized certification, licensed through the Northwest Energy Efficiency Council. It offers comprehensive energy efficiency training in commercial building operations and maintenance. Topics covered include facility electrical, indoor air quality, environmental health and safety, and energy conservation.
The program is for building engineers; heating, ventilation and air-conditioning technicians; electricians; maintenance workers; building managers; real estate agents; and others involved in running a facility.
Studies show that Building Operating Certification graduates may save an average of $20,000 annually on energy bills for their companies through energy conservation, the news release said.
Classes will be held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at UH-Maui College on Sept. 6, 7 and 20; Oct. 5 and 18; Nov. 1 and 15; and Dec. 6.
The cost of the course is $100 to students.
For more information or to apply, visit www.sustainablemaui.org or call the Sustainable Living Institute of Maui at 984-3379.
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Arrest, charges after shots fired from car
A Kula man was arrested for firing two shots from a car while leaving a Kula residence Monday night, police said.
Jeffrey Aweau, 22, was released after posting $8,000 bail. He was charged with having a loaded firearm on a highway, first-degree reckless endangering and two counts of first-degree terroristic threatening.
Police were called at 11:18 p.m. to investigate a report of shots fired at a residence on Kula Highway. Police said Aweau and his girlfriend had driven her father and his girlfriend to the residence. After an altercation, Aweau and his girlfriend decided to leave and the shots were fired, police said.
The girlfriend’s father and his girlfriend also drove away from the residence and were pulled over near King Kekaulike High School, police said.
Aweau was located at his residence and arrested at 1:55 a.m. Tuesday, according to police.
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Found container leads to closure of road
A container of hydrogen peroxide found on the side of Kula Highway near Kamehameiki Road in Kula on Tuesday afternoon led to a four-hour closure of the highway as firefighters assessed the potential chemical spill, a Fire Department official said.
The 25- to 30-gallon plastic barrel of 35 percent hydrogen peroxide that apparently fell off a vehicle was reported by a passer-by at about 2:30 p.m., Fire Services Chief Lee Mainaga said Tuesday evening. Crews arriving on the scene noticed vapors, which led to the closing of Kula Highway from Lower Kula Road just before Haleakala Waldorf School to Kamehameiki Road at 2:45 p.m., Mainaga and a county advisory said.
Firefighters assessed that the liquid was nonflammable and that the barrel had not broken and leaked, he said. They took samples to confirm the labeling of hydrogen peroxide.
The road was reopened at about 6:50 p.m., the county advisory said.
Mainaga said that firefighters had no idea how the barrel came to end up on the highway and whose hydrogen peroxide it is. No one came forward to claim the barrel, he said.
Thirty-five percent hydrogen peroxide, or “food grade,” is sometimes used as an alternative therapy for allergies, arthritis, HIV, diabetes, emphysema, lupus, shingles, warts and irregular heart rhythms, according to the National Capital Poison Center website.
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Man says heart attack led to vehicle theft
A 34-year-old man was arrested Monday afternoon when he was seen driving a pickup truck that had been reported stolen in Kihei a few hours earlier, police said.
Bail was set at $1,000 for Vincent Michelucci, who gave no local address.
The primer gray 1991 Toyota pickup had been parked on Halama Street at about 11 a.m. Monday while the owner was doing a job there. At 12:30 p.m., the truck was gone.
The truck was stopped near Namauu Street at about 3:15 p.m. when a Kihei patrol officer saw Michelucci driving the vehicle, with no one else inside, police said. When he was stopped, Michelucci spontaneously said he was sorry and had taken the vehicle because he was having a heart attack, police said. Michelucci told police he had intended to return the vehicle.
