Suspect in ATM theft scheme is arrested

An arrest has been made in Los Angeles in the search for one of two suspects in an automated teller machine skimming operation that siphoned more than $20,000 from local residents.

City Prosecutor Keith Kaneshiro announced Wednesday that Argishti Khachaturyan, 33, was arrested in California on Tuesday.

An Oahu grand jury indicted Khachaturyan and Armen Apoyan, 33, on conspiracy and identity theft charges on Aug. 20. Apoyan is still at large, the prosecutor said.

The indictment, unsealed Wednesday, alleges that the two arrived here from Los Angeles on Feb. 21 and later installed an "overlay skimming device" over the card reader slot of a Central Pacific Bank ATM at 2250 Kalakaua Ave., according to a news release.

The device was left on the ATM for three days and captured account information from ATM users. Khachaturyan and Apoyan allegedly made counterfeit ATM cards and withdrew money from compromised accounts at an ATM at The Modern Honolulu, 1775 Ala Moana Blvd., and several other ATMs in Honolulu and California, authorities said.

They returned to California on Feb. 25, allegedly stealing more than $20,000 through the scheme.

Bill proposes raising age for buying tobacco

The Hawaii County Council will consider a measure to raise the legal age for buying tobacco products to 21 from 18.

West Hawaii Today reports the bill sponsored by Kona Councilman Dru Kanuha could be considered at a meeting Oct. 15 at the West Hawaii Civic Center.

The bill is backed by the Coalition for a Tobacco-Free Hawaii.

Coalition director Jessica Yamauchi says 95 percent of smokers begin the habit before they turn 21 and twice as many people smoke at age 18 to 20 than at age 16 to 17.

Exercise to test emergency plan

The Hawaii National Guard’s 93rd Civil Support Team is conducting its annual weapons of mass destruction exercise on Kauai from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. today at the Hanapepe National Guard Armory and Kekaha Range Complex.

The emergency exercise is being held with a number of local, state and federal organizations and a hospital.

During the exercise, a scenario that simulates the use of chemical, biological, radio­logical (dirty bomb) and nuclear weapons will be staged, officials said. They asked for the public’s cooperation by staying clear of any obvious or marked areas to allow participants to conduct the exercise without interruptions.

For more information, call the Kauai Civil Defense Agency at 241-1800.