Honolulu police chief faces federal indictment ADVERTISING Honolulu police chief faces federal indictment HONOLULU (AP) — Honolulu Police Chief Louis Kealoha has voluntarily placed himself on restricted duty after receiving notification that he is the target of a federal grand
Honolulu police chief faces federal indictment
HONOLULU (AP) — Honolulu Police Chief Louis Kealoha has voluntarily placed himself on restricted duty after receiving notification that he is the target of a federal grand jury investigation, his attorney confirmed.
“There is no economic advantage to my staying on as chief, but if I leave the department now, I give credence to the baseless attacks,” Kealoha said in a statement issued by the department Tuesday.
Attorney Myles Breiner said Kealoha has “done nothing wrong” and that the letter he received about the investigation was intended to intimidate his client.
Several other police officers received similar notices and are expected to be placed on restricted duty, according to media reports.
Retired officer Niall Silva pleaded guilty Friday to falsifying documents and altering evidence. He had testified at a 2014 trial against Gerard Puana, the uncle of Kealoha’s wife, Katherine Kealoha. Puana had been accused of stealing the Kealohas’ home mailbox but case ended in a mistrial after Louis Kealoha made inappropriate comments about Puana’s criminal past. The charge was later dismissed.
Federal Public Defender Alexander Silvert, who represented Puana, said the Kealohas framed his client in an attempt to discredit him in a lawsuit Puana filed accusing Katherine Kealoha, a Honolulu prosecutor, of mishandling his mother’s assets. A jury later sided with Katherine Kealoha.
Now, Puana is suing five police officers and the Kealohas, who filed a lawsuit against the city’s Ethics Commission and two of its former employees over investigations the couple called illegal.
The federal investigation into the Kealohas began more than a year ago.
“I will continue to stand up for my police officers even if it means continued criticism from those who either do not care to understand, or who are pursuing their own political agenda,” Louis Kealoha’s statement said.
Guam governor supports legalizing pot for recreational use
HAGATNA, Guam (AP) — Guam Gov. Eddie Calvo has proposed legalizing recreational marijuana on the island, with heavy taxation.
Calvo announced the plan Monday, just a week after he vetoed a bill that would allow medical marijuana patients to grow their pot at home. Calvo had cited concerns about the cost of regulating residential grow operations, The Pacific Daily News reported (http://bit.ly/2hCHNZJ).
The governor turned his focus this week to recreational marijuana, which he said could generate tax revenue to fund public safety and education.
“I want us to look at how states navigated into recreational marijuana. Let’s figure it out and then tax the heck out of it and use those taxes to help fund our hospital, public safety and education,” Calvo said in a written statement.
The bill vetoed by Calvo last week requires residents to obtain a permit and have their homes subject to routine inspection by law enforcement and public health officials.
“Unless the means of how the regulation of home cultivation is to be funded or staffed is identified, the anticipated enforcement of Bill 344 will impose new and different duties upon our health and law enforcement agencies that will deplete their already strained resources,” Calvo’s veto message states. “Bill 344 places a huge burden on our public health and safety which I cannot permit.”
Senators had approved the bill in a 8-7 vote earlier this month, which means the veto could stand. At least 10 votes are required to override Calvo’s veto.
