Ex-CEO sentenced for stealing from condo associations ADVERTISING Ex-CEO sentenced for stealing from condo associations HONOLULU (AP) — The former CEO of Certified Hawaii, now known as Associa Hawaii has been sentenced to one year in prison for stealing from
Ex-CEO sentenced for stealing from condo associations
HONOLULU (AP) — The former CEO of Certified Hawaii, now known as Associa Hawaii has been sentenced to one year in prison for stealing from multiple condominium associations in Oahu.
Toni Ann Floerke was sentenced Tuesday. She had previously pleaded no contest in August to more than a dozen counts of theft.
Floerke has been accused of creating and using false documents to steal more than $126,000 from apartment owners for personal use. The thefts from three different condo associations occurred from 2003 to 2012.
“She was the leader of the company and she took advantage of her position of trust and did it for her own gain, so in our view, sentence of probation, letting her walk out of here sends the wrong message,” said deputy prosecutor Chris Van Marter.
Floerke apologized for her actions in court Tuesday.
“I am extremely embarrassed and humiliated by my lack of judgment during this time,” said Floerke. “I am very sorry for what I’ve done and I’ve never said that I’m not responsible.”
Floerke has also been sentenced to four years of probation and must pay $134,000 in restitution. She will start serving her one-year sentence in July, after her son graduates from high school.
Man dies, swept away by large wave at Kaena Point
HONOLULU (AP) — Emergency officials say a man has died after he and two other fishermen were swept out to sea by a large wave at Kaena Point State Park on Oahu.
Emergency Services Department spokeswoman, Shayne Enright, said in an email that lifeguards on rescue watercraft recovered the man’s body Monday. He has not yet been identified.
The two other men were swept away and thrown onto rocks. They were both taken to a hospital in serious condition.
Enright said the men disregarded warnings about the dangerous surf conditions. They had been fishing when they were swept away by a wave more than 10 feet high, she said.
A high surf warning is in place for north and west shores on Oahu, Kauai County, Maui and Molokai.
Kaui County is warning beachgoers not to swim at north shore beaches west of the Hanalei Pavilion because of the high surf and dangerous ocean conditions. Forecasters said surf was rising up to 30 feet Monday on the north shores.
“Expect ocean water occasionally sweeping across portions of beaches, very strong breaking waves and strong longshore and rip currents,” forecasters said. “Anyone entering the water could face significant injury or death.”
A 33-foot sailing vessel ran aground in high surf at Hanalei Bay Monday. State officials said the vessel’s owner, Randy Perez, was leaving the bay when the motor died. Perez was injured and taken to a hospital for treatment.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Land and Natural Resources said salvage removal of the sailboat will begin after the surf dies down.
Police still search for suspected shooter in kidnapping
HONOLULU (AP) — Police are still looking for a suspect involved in the kidnapping and shooting of a man, who managed to escape and drive himself to a Waianae hospital with multiple gunshot wounds.
Police haven’t yet located the alleged shooter in the September incident. But 42-year-old Ranier Ines has been charged with the robbery and kidnapping of Kele Stout.
Court documents filed Monday say Stout and Ines were working together at a Honolulu countertop manufacturing company when they got into an argument.
Stout says Ines held him at gunpoint and forced him to drive to Waianae, where another man was waiting for them. That man then shot Stout multiple times. Stout was able to get away and drive to a hospital.
Ines will appear in court Wednesday.
Air Force apologizes for waking up Oahu residents with jets
HONOLULU (AP) — The Air Force apologized Tuesday for unexpected early morning noise from fighter jets roaring over Oahu.
Four F-16 Fighting Falcons and a KC-135 Stratotanker took off from Oahu at about 1 a.m. Tuesday, said Capt. Nicole White, chief of public affairs for the 15th Wing at Joint Base Pearl-Harbor Hickam. The aircraft are with the 180th Fighter Wing, an Ohio-based Air National Guard unit, she said. They needed to refuel before heading back to Ohio.
“We did not receive a head’s up,” she said. “We are good stewards and good neighbors and we would let you know if there was going to be noise. It was something that caught us off-guard.”
Her office has been fielding inquiries from concerned Oahu residents.
“We are aware it was a disturbance,” she said. “It is not our intention to wake up the public in the middle of the night.”
White said she doesn’t know where they were coming from and the 15th Wing is looking into why it was necessary for them to take off at that hour. The aircraft received a waiver to take off during “quiet hours,” she said.
The aircraft were flying at their approved height, but four F-16s taking off at once intensifies the noise, White said.
Staff Sgt. Michael Hughes, of the 180th Fighter Wing’s public affairs office, said that because of the late hour in Ohio, he couldn’t immediately get details about what happened.
