Alleged burglars caught after fumes clear

Police arrested two men Wednesday who apparently tried to burglarize a Lusitana Street home that was tented for fumigation.

Officers called to the home at 3 a.m. found a 21-year-old man leaving with property from the house and arrested him on suspicion of burglary. His companion, a 25-year-old male, refused police commands to leave the tented house.

The Honolulu Fire Department hazardous materials team and the fumigation company opened the tent and vented the home until it was safe for police to enter. Officers went in the home at about 6:15 a.m. and found the suspect hiding in a bedroom and arrested him on suspicion of burglary. Paramedics took both suspects to a hospital, where they were examined before being taken to the police cellblock.

Officers investigate fatal 2-vehicle crash

One person died in a crash Wednesday night on Kawaihae Road in South Kohala on the Big Island.

The two-vehicle crash happened about 6 p.m., police said. The victim was in one of the vehicles.

Police urged motorists to avoid Kawaihae Road near the 63-mile marker until midnight while officers investigated.

Helicopter snatches hikers from mountains

Two men who became stranded overnight while hiking in the hills above Kaaawa were rescued by Honolulu firefighters late Wednesday morning.

Honolulu fire Capt. Terry Seelig said a Honolulu Fire Department helicopter took aboard two hikers, ages 32 and 19, who were then set down on flat ground about 10:10 a.m. They appeared unhurt but one complained of nausea, he said.

The two hikers spent Tuesday night along a cold, wet ledge above Kaaawa Valley after cloudy weather made it impossible for firefighters to reach them, Seelig said.

Stabber on the loose after attacking cyclist

Police were looking Wednesday for a person who stabbed a bicyclist in an unprovoked attack in Waikiki.

The incident happened about 3:10 p.m. Wednesday near Ena Road and Kalakaua Avenue.

According to emergency dispatch reports, a 48-year-old man was riding his bicycle when an unknown person with a 4-inch pocketknife stabbed him. Paramedics took the man to the Queen’s Medical Center in serious condition with a deep wound to his right chest.

Juvenile arrested in robbery of tourist

Police arrested a 14-year-old boy in connection with the robbery of a Japanese tourist Tuesday night in Waikiki.

Police said the teen approached a 15-year-old boy on Liliuokalani Avenue about 8:40 p.m., showed a 6-inch knife and demanded money. The robber ran away after the victim gave him some cash.

An employee of the ABC Store on Liliuokalani Avenue said the robber was harassing an employee in the store just before the robbery. He left, but about 10 minutes later, the victim came into the store and said he had been robbed. Officers located the suspect about 30 minutes later on the beach, and the victim identified him, the employee said.

Montana fugitive arrested in Kahului

Officers with the U.S. Marshals Service Hawaii Fugitive Task Force arrested in Kahului on Wednesday a Montana man wanted on various sex offenses.

The marshal’s office said Joseph Lee Guseman, 31, of Glendive, Mont., had posted bail after his arrest on three counts of criminal obscenity June 21 at a Glendive home.

He left Montana before investigators could arrest him on more serious charges tied to allegations that he sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl. In that case, authorities charged him with four counts of sexual intercourse without consent of a minor, and four counts of sexual abuse of a child.

U.S. marshals tracked Guseman to Maui. At 11:15 a.m. Wednesday, he was arrested by deputy U.S. marshals, Maui police officers and state sheriffs at a Kahului home without incident.

He was scheduled to be sent back to Montana after an extradition hearing.

NEIGHBOR ISLANDS

Chief to volunteer till new one hired

HILO » Hawaii island’s fire chief is retiring soon but will continue leading the department as a volunteer.

The Hawaii Tribune-Herald reported Wednesday that commissioners for the Hawaii County Fire Department voted unanimously to keep Darryl Oliveira on as a volunteer chief until a permanent replacement is found. But before commissioners could appoint him, the county had to make sure state law allows for a retiree to lead the department without pay and that doing so wouldn’t have a financial effect on Oliveira’s retirement status, said Corporation Counsel Lincoln Ashida.

Serving as a volunteer chief will be "like nothing has changed," Oliveira said. "I’m still accountable for everything in the department and responsible to you and the community for operations in the department." He said he’s willing to be a volunteer so that commissioners can select a replacement "without any interruption, without any controversy, to provide you the opportunity to do a fair and aboveboard process."

Fire Commission Chairman Toby Taniguchi said he didn’t want to give job applicants an advantage by approving someone else for an interim position.

The job vacancy is being advertised in Hawaii island and Hono­lulu daily newspapers. The minimum qualifications for the job are five years training and experience in fire control, at least three years administrative experience, U.S. citizenship and Hawaii residency for at least a year prior to the appointment. Human resources staff will screen applicants and provide a list of qualified candidates to the commission.

Oliveira is to begin serving as a volunteer chief Monday. He will step down when his successor is sworn in.