Mother found guilty of assaulting child on plane ADVERTISING Mother found guilty of assaulting child on plane HONOLULU (AP) — A Hawaii mother was convicted Tuesday of assaulting her 15-month-old daughter during a May flight from Anchorage, Alaska, to Honolulu.
Mother found guilty of assaulting child on plane
HONOLULU (AP) — A Hawaii mother was convicted Tuesday of assaulting her 15-month-old daughter during a May flight from Anchorage, Alaska, to Honolulu.
Samantha Leialoha Watanabe’s defense was that she didn’t do anything beyond permissible parental discipline during a long flight with a fussy toddler. Prosecutors alleged she was unreasonably rough with the generally well-behaved girl by smacking her head, hitting her in the face with a stuffed doll and yanking out tufts of her hair.
The jury reached its verdict after deliberating about four hours Monday afternoon.
Defense attorney Alexander Silvert said only two words immediately after the verdict was read: “Extremely disappointed.” During the trial, he argued the allegations were fabricated by judgmental passengers who didn’t like how Watanabe looked and dressed her child.
The toddler didn’t have any bruises or marks on her body and there was no bleeding, redness or other signs that hair was pulled out, Silvert said.
Watanabe, who is five months pregnant with her seventh child, faces up to a year in jail when she’s sentenced March 15.
South Africa man saves pro surfer from drowning
HONOLULU (AP) — State officials are crediting a South Africa man with saving the life of a professional surfer who almost drowned after a wipeout.
Two-time world bodyboarding champion Andre Botha of South Africa found the surfer, Evan Geiselman, unconscious in the water off Oahu’s Ehukai Beach on Sunday morning.
Botha attempted to resuscitate Geiselman while trying to swim to shore against the waves. Safety officials estimated the pair traveled about 300 yards before other surfers and lifeguards reached them.
Ehukai Beach, also known as Banzai Pipeline, is famous for its surf tubes.
Geiselman eventually regained consciousness after he was brought to shore. He was rushed to the hospital in critical condition.
