Select an option below to continue reading this premium story.
Already a Honolulu Star-Advertiser subscriber? Log in now to continue reading.
Three of the four Honolulu police officers charged with falsifying documents to get overtime pay have court dates.
Police officers Christopher and Patrick Bugarin, both represented by attorney Guy Matsunaga, pleaded not guilty Thursday morning at their Circuit Court arraignment on charges of theft and tampering with government records. The brothers were given a trial date of Sept. 19 before Circuit Judge Ed Kubo.
HPD Sgt. Duke Zoller pleaded not guilty to similar charges earlier this week. His case also will be heard by Kubo during the week of Sept. 19.
Kubo dismissed the charges against Zoller, Sgt. Aaron Bernal and the Bugarin brothers in May because the case had taken too long to go to trial. Kubo, however, allowed prosecutors to refile the case. Bernal’s case has been continued until Aug. 22.
The four have been charged again and are accused of participating in a scheme in which officers put the names of the two sergeants on arrest reports to show that they were at DUI checkpoints when they actually weren’t. This would increase the sergeants’ chances of gaining overtime later if defendants challenged the arrests in court.