A former Hilo attorney who was allowed to resign his license in lieu of discipline was arrested Sunday night and charged with DUI, driving after his license was revoked and without insurance. ADVERTISING A former Hilo attorney who was allowed
A former Hilo attorney who was allowed to resign his license in lieu of discipline was arrested Sunday night and charged with DUI, driving after his license was revoked and without insurance.
According to court documents filed by police, 66-year-old Dennis D. Nishimura was driving a 2000 Toyota Tacoma pickup truck south on Kanoelehua Avenue when he rear-ended a 2012 Chevy Equinox at 9:20 p.m. on Puainako Street near Prince Kuhio Plaza.
Nishimura had “a strong odor” of alcohol “emanating from his body and breath,” his “eyes were red, watery and bloodshot,” and he had difficulty maintaining his balance when administered field sobriety tests, documents state.
There was no mention of injuries in the collision.
Nishimura appeared Monday in Hilo District Court in lieu of $1,525 bail. Deputy Public Defender Austin Hsu requested Nishimura be freed on supervised release, while Deputy Prosecutor Glenn Shiigi asked Judge Harry Freitas to maintain Nishimura’s bail, calling him “a danger to the community.” He said Sunday night’s DUI arrest was Nishimura’s third recent drunken-driving charge.
“In this case, Mr. Nishimura was involved in a traffic accident,” Shiigi said.
“The three pending DUIs are in what time frame?” Freitas inquired.
“They’re very close to each other, Your Honor. … The most recent one was Nov. 19, 2016, and the one before that was Aug. 5, 2016,” the prosecutor replied.
Court records indicate Nishimura’s license was suspended for a year on Sept. 5 and for 18 months on Dec. 20.
Freitas maintained Nishimura’s bail and ordered him to return to court at 1:30 p.m. Feb. 27.
The state Supreme Court allowed Nishimura to resign from the practice of law on Jan. 17, 2012. According to the court order, “Nishimura’s behavior included multiple acts of misappropriation and that any reinstatement must be predicated upon full restitution of all misappropriated money.”
According to the Hawaii State Bar Association website, Nishimura is still ineligible to practice law.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
