Child pornography suspect arrested
A man suspected of child sexual exploitation and believed to have been on Hawaii island between 2008 and 2010 was arrested Wednesday night by the FBI and will be transported to U.S. District Court in Honolulu to face charges, the FBI said.
The 56-year-old Pahoa man was identified and found on Hawaii island through tips from the public, the FBI said.
Honolulu FBI Special Agent Tom Simon said a criminal complaint is expected to be filed today.
The suspect first came to the FBI’s attention in 2010 when a series of photographs surfaced on the Internet showing him apparently engaging in graphic sex acts with a girl about 4 years old and a boy about 9 years old, the FBI said. The photos were circulated widely among various illegal Internet sites that shared child pornography.
Man arrested in Kalihi, Waikiki robberies
A 27-year-old Iwilei man is being held as a suspect in four robberies in Kalihi and Waikiki in the past week, police said.
The suspect, who lists the men’s shelter at the Institute for Human Services as his address, was arrested for investigation of three counts of first-degree robbery and one count of second-degree robbery.
He was arrested while in a taxicab near Nimitz Highway and Alakea Street at 4:20 a.m. Tuesday and transferred to federal custody Wednesday.
At 1:55 a.m. Tuesday, a 24-hour convenience store near Nimitz Highway and Alakawa Street was robbed by a man who said he had a gun, but didn’t show one. He fled on foot.
Police questioned people in the area and found that the suspect had fled in the cab on Nimitz heading downtown.
He was also suspected of robbing three businesses in Waikiki and Kalihi.
Two of the holdups occurred Monday and one on Saturday. In all three cases, the suspect said he was armed and demanded money from the cashiers, police said.
Cash taken as 2 businesses robbed
Two businesses were robbed Tuesday afternoon in the Waipahu and Pearl City areas.
Though a weapon may have been used in both robberies, police didn’t say if they believed the two cases were related.
The first incident occurred at 3:30 p.m. in Pearl City. The second occurred at 6:15 p.m. in Waipahu.
An undisclosed amount of cash was taken in both cases.
NEIGHBOR ISLANDS
Maui snorkeler who drowned was from Haiku
A snorkeler who was pronounced dead after he was found unresponsive in the water at Maui’s Hoolawa Bay has been identified.
Officials identified the man as Gregory Blair, 44, of Haiku, the Maui News reported Wednesday.
Police, firefighters and emergency medical personnel responded to a report from one of Blair’s neighbors that he had possibly drowned Monday.
Blair and the neighbor had gone swimming in the ocean at the end of Honopou Road and the neighbor lost sight of him. The neighbor then saw him bobbing in the water, apparently lifeless, and pulled him to shore.
Police charge car theft suspect
Hawaii island police have charged a Kurtistown man with assaulting a police officer, resisting arrest and auto theft after his arrest Monday in Puna in a car theft case.
Bail for Claude Keone Krause, 30, was set at $22,000.
Krause was a suspect in a stolen-vehicle case in August. Police spotted him in Kurtistown Monday about 10:30 a.m. and arrested him. During the arrest, Krause resisted and a 41-year-old patrol officer suffered minor injuries, police said.
The stolen vehicle was recovered Aug. 17.
Repair work will close pool
The Kapaa swimming pool will close Tuesday for general maintenance work and reopen on Oct. 23, Kauai County announced.
The pool’s hours of operation are Tuesday to Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; and Sunday, noon to 4:30 p.m.
The facility is closed on Monday and holidays. For more information, call the pool office at 822-3842.
