Man charged in rape of girl, 12

Honolulu prosecutors have charged a 20-year-old Waianae man for allegedly grabbing a 12-year-old girl as she walked home from school and raping her in his garage.

Samuel K. Kea III of Moekolu Street was scheduled to appear in court today for a preliminary hearing. He was charged with four counts of first-degree sexual assault and one count of third-degree sexual assault and remained at Oahu Correctional Community Center, unable to post $100,000 bail.

The girl was walking home after school on Jan. 6 when a man she knows as Kamu Kea tried to persuade her to go to his home, according to court documents. When she resisted, Kea allegedly grabbed her by the arm and pulled her into his garage, held her on a bed and raped her, the documents said.

The girl identified Kea in a photographic lineup.

Police called him on his cell phone and he agreed to meet with officers Friday at the Waianae Transit Center, where he was arrested.

Kea previously was convicted of theft on Nov. 24 and sentenced to two days in jail, according to the state criminal data center.

Honda driver sought in hit-and-run

Honolulu police are looking for a suspect in a hit-and-run crash that critically injured a 29-year-old man Tuesday night. Police said the victim, who has no local address, was in a marked crosswalk on Nimitz Highway near Kmart at 9:08 p.m. when he was hit by a vehicle that left the scene.

Paramedics took the man to the Queen’s Medical Center in critical condition with head and other injuries, police said. They are looking for a 1992 gray Honda Civic, license number JBW 216, with possible front passenger-side damage.

A Traffic Division investigator said a possible suspect has been identified but the case remains under investigation. Excessive speed is a possible factor in the crash.

Ewa-bound lanes of Nimitz Highway were closed for about three hours during the investigation.

6 escape Wahiawa blaze uninjured

A Wahiawa family of seven was displaced Tuesday night after a house fire that appeared to have been started by an electrical malfunction.

A woman and five children — all under the age of 10 — were home when the fire started at 1828 Eames St. about 8:35 p.m., said fire Capt. Terry Seelig.

Everyone got out without injury. The woman’s husband was not home.

Seelig said it appeared the fire started in the electrical panel in the kitchen and spread rapidly through the four-bedroom, single-family wooden home. Damage to the home and contents was estimated at $270,000.

The kitchen and a couple of other rooms were heavily damaged while the rest of the house sustained smoke damage, Seelig said.

Firefighters arrived within 10 minutes and brought the blaze under control in about two minutes.

The American Red Cross is assisting the family. 

Body discovered on trail in Waianae

Honolulu firefighters recovered a body that pig hunters found yesterday on a trail at the end of Waianae Valley Road. The hunters stumbled across the man’s body hanging from a tree and reported it to police about 2:45 p.m., police said.

Firefighters hiked into Waianae Kai Trail to reach the body, which was toward the beginning of the trail, said Honolulu fire Capt. Terry Seelig.

Firefighters waited while the medical examiner conducted an investigation at the scene.

A fire helicopter lifted the body off the trail and brought it to Waianae Valley Road about 6:45 p.m.