Trial date set for officer accused of assault

A state judge set a trial date in February for a Honolulu police officer charged with sexually assaulting a woman this summer.

Nicholas K.H. Masagatani pleaded not guilty in state Circuit Court on Monday to two counts of second-degree sexual assault and one count of attempted fourth-degree assault. The 30-year-old officer remains free on $20,000 bail.

Masagatani and his lawyer left the courtroom without comment.

The state says the eight-year police veteran sexually assaulted a woman in his Pauoa home on Aug. 2.

The woman immediately filed a complaint and police arrested Masagatani at his home that same day.

The Honolulu Police Department said it took away Masagatani’s police powers and put him on restricted duty following his arrest.

The trial of another HPD officer charged with sexual assault is scheduled for next month.

Kramer Jay Sueki Aoki, 35, is accused of grabbing the breast of an underage girl in custody while he was on duty.

600 attendees expected at digital summit

More than 600 public-sector employees will be attending the Hawaii Digital Government Summit.

The state Office of Information Management and Technology is hosting Tuesday’s event at the Hilton Hawaiian Village. The state says attendees include state and county employees involved in every level of government technology decisions and implementation.

This will be the third time the event has been held. Three sessions in the afternoon will be open to the public. Registration is available on-site.

Housing vouchers available for veterans

Rental housing vouchers for 22 homeless veterans in Hawaii are now available.

Federal officials have allocated $193,913 for vouchers that will also cover other services, including medical assistance.

The vouchers are provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs through the HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing program.

Since 2008, the two agencies have provided vouchers for a total of 456 homeless veterans in Hawaii.

Since 2008, more than 9,000 homeless veterans have been helped through the voucher system nationwide, federal officials said. More information about HUD and its programs is available at www.hud.gov.

NEIGHBOR ISLANDS

County will not fine landowner but state might

A North Kona man who cleared his property without a permit won’t face fines from Hawaii County, but fines from the state are still pending.

The county Board of Appeals on Friday unanimously approved a finding that Richard Stewart grubbed and graded his 4-acre site at the mauka end of Ihumoe Street, adjacent to Mamalahoa Highway, in early 2013, West Hawaii Today reports. Because he stopped the work when notified by the county, he was not fined.

Stewart still faces $9,400 in state fines for damaging archaeological structures, according to a December 2013 report from Michael Vitousek, an archaeologist with the State Historical Preservation Division. The fine has to be approved by the state Board of Land and Natural Resources.