Kamehameha Schools asks for separate trials for abuse cases ADVERTISING Kamehameha Schools asks for separate trials for abuse cases HONOLULU (AP) — Kamehameha Schools says it requested separate trials for 32 former students who allege they were repeatedly molested by
Kamehameha Schools asks for separate trials for abuse cases
HONOLULU (AP) — Kamehameha Schools says it requested separate trials for 32 former students who allege they were repeatedly molested by a now-deceased Kamehameha Schools psychiatrist.
The plaintiffs are suing Kamehameha Schools and the estate of psychiatrist Robert Browne, who they say repeatedly sexually abused them during therapy sessions between the 1960s and 1980s.
A Kamehameha Schools statement Thursday says that each of the men should have individual trials because the facts and circumstances around each case are different. The school says keeping students safe is a high priority and its policies are designed to protect students.
The plaintiffs’ attorney says the trials are set to begin June 1, 2018.
Kamehameha Schools gives admission preference to students of Native Hawaiian ancestry and enrolls nearly 7,000 at three campuses statewide.
Police chief’s attorney says they anticipate indictment
HONOLULU (AP) — Honolulu Police Chief Louis Kealoha and his wife have hired a criminal defense attorney to represent them amid a federal investigation into allegations of civil rights violations.
Attorney Myles Breiner says he and the Kealohas expect there will be a grand jury indictment in the case. Kealoha and his wife Katherine — a city prosecutor — are accused of using special police units to investigate relatives while they were involved in a family financial dispute.
Breiner says the couple hired him over concerns that they are being “pilloried.”
He also says the Kealohas intend to step down if they are indicted.
Since the federal investigation began, there have been growing calls for the police chief to temporarily remove himself from his post.
Repairs to collapsed Waianae pier still delayed
HONOLULU (AP) — Officials have approved repairs for a pier that collapsed at Oahu’s Waianae Boat Harbor in December, but the work is being held up because the permit came far sooner than expected.
Eric Yuasa, an engineer with the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources, said the department received the Water Quality Certification permit to begin work in April, a process he says usually takes about two years.
“It (the permit) came last month, but repairs remain on hold because the contractor is now waiting for materials to be shipped in from the mainland,” said Yuasa, who works for the department’s Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation.
The permit issued by the Hawaii Department of Health for projects on, above or adjacent to water ensures that steps are taken to mitigate negative impacts on the water.
Yuasa said that there were 42 Water Quality Certification permits as of October 2015 that had not yet been approved or dismissed. The average wait time for approval of those projects is 670 days, he said.
Keith Kawaoka, deputy director for the Environmental Health Administration, said he understands the frustration, but that it takes time for the department to carefully look over each application.
“We have the regulations to uphold and we’re the only ones to do this,” Kawaoka said. “It’s not going to be the Corps. It’s not going to be the city. It’s us.”
However, things seem to be looking up for the various agencies seeking permits in the future. Kawaoka said the outcome of recent meetings with various stakeholders is expected to cut wait times by 75 percent, as long as the key players implement the plan they developed through the discussions.
The department also recently approved work on Hawaii Island’s Honokohau Harbor. The permit came more than 700 days after the application was submitted.
