Drowning confirmed in UH athlete’s death

The Medical Examiner’s Office has classified the death of University of Hawaii football player Jack Willis Wilson III as an accidental drowning.

Wilson’s body was recovered Nov. 30 in waters off Sandy Beach after he was reported missing at 4:30 a.m. His body was found about 8 a.m.

Wilson, 21, was among a group of three men and two women who were wading in shallow water when his friends noticed he was missing.

Drunken driver hit utility pole, police say

A downed utility pole that closed a portion of Kalakaua Avenue for nearly 12 hours Thursday was caused by a drunken driver, police said.

Wayne Ramel, 56, was arrested for drunken driving, driving without a license and refusing to submit to a Breathalyzer test just after 2:30 a.m. Thursday. Police said he lost control of the car he was driving near Makaloa Street and hit a utility pole, bringing it and another pole down.

A portion of Kalakaua Avenue was closed until 1 p.m. while Hawaiian Telcom crews fixed the poles. Telephone users in the area were not affected.

Driver sought in Waialae hit-and-run

Police are asking the public for help in finding the hit-and-run driver who injured a 94-year-old pedestrian on Waialae Avenue on Jan. 3.

The man was hit at 7:37 a.m. as he was crossing Waialae Avenue near 5th Avenue. The driver of a vehicle traveling east on Waialae Avenue reportedly ran a red light and failed to stop.

The car is described as a green four-door sedan with damage to the passenger-side windshield. The vehicle was seen fleeing eastbound on Waialae.

Anyone with information about the accident is asked to call CrimeStoppers at 955-8300.