Shark guru to plead guilty over child porn
Local shark expert Randy Honebrink is scheduled to plead guilty in federal court Thursday to possession of child pornography.
The charge, which carries a minimum 15-year prison term, stems from a raid on Honebrink’s Makiki apartment last June in which federal investigators seized a laptop computer, external thumb drives and numerous compact discs and digital video discs.
The federal prosecutor charged Honebrink, 58, Friday with possessing two child pornography images on his computer and two images on an external hard drive.
Honebrink is the information and education specialist for the state Department of Land and Natural Resources’ Division of Aquatic Resources. He is also the coordinator and spokesman for the Hawaii Shark Task Force.
Water is safe, tests continue to show
Results of laboratory tests on drinking water — conducted after Navy officials found a possible jet fuel tank leak last week at Red Hill Underground Fuel Storage Facility — are continuing to meet federal regulatory Safe Drinking Water and state standards, and the water’s safe to drink, according to a Navy news release issued Tuesday.
Water samples are continuing to be drawn at the site to check for contaminants.
Test results confirmed Thursday that a 12 million-gallon Navy jet fuel tank leaked in the vicinity of five wells. Navy officials suspect less than 20,000 gallons of JP-8 fuel leaked from Tank 5 at the underground storage facility.
After finding a possible leak Jan. 13, Navy officials confirmed the leak at a joint news conference held Thursday with state and city officials, stressing that the leak was minimal and that drinking water remains safe.
Test results from five drinking water wells in the vicinity taken by the Honolulu Board of Water Supply have shown no fuel contamination. The agency is moving forward with its own monitoring plan of the drinking water that has been approved by the state Department of Health. Board of Water Supply drinking water wells that were shut down as a precaution were being brought back into service as of Tuesday, according to the release.
Tests on initial water samples taken after the possible leak was discovered showed no presence of fuel in drinking water wells. Test results on samples taken since then are pending.
Bicyclist killed in road accident ID’d as Hilo man
Hawaii County police have identified the man who died Saturday after falling from his bicycle and being hit by a car as Darwin E. Barve, 58, of Hilo.
Police said the accident occurred on Route 19, 619 feet north of the mile marker 3, at 8:48 p.m. Barve was traveling north on Route 19 when he hit the sidewalk of a bridge and fell and was then struck by a 1995 International semitruck that was also traveling north. The driver of the truck, a 66-year-old Hilo man, was not injured.
The bicyclist was taken to Hilo Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 10:48 p.m.
Police said officers detected an odor of alcohol on the bicyclist.
Hilo police have opened a negligent-homicide investigation and have ordered an autopsy to determine the cause of death.
Help sought in locating father, baby
Hawaii County police are seeking the public’s help in locating a Puna man and his 7-month-old daughter who may be in Kona.
Police said Eli Evans, 34, and his daughter Jasmine Evans were last seen Jan. 15 in Hawaiian Acres in Puna.
At 7:09 p.m. Monday police received a report from a Pahoa woman that her estranged husband had removed their infant daughter from the home of a relative, claiming that he was heading to Kona.
Eli Evans is described as a Caucasian, about 6 feet 1 inch tall and weighing 185-190 pounds with blond hair and blue eyes. Police say he may be driving a silver sedan. Jasmine Evans is described as a Caucasian female with blond hair and blue eyes, about 24-26 inches tall and weighing about 15 pounds.
