Latest news with #AliamanuNewYear's
Yahoo
15-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Slap on the wrist? No jail time for Hawaii fireworks offenders
HONOLULU (KHON2) — Is it a step in the right direction or a slap on the wrist? That is the question after two men pled no contest relating to illegal fireworks charges and received no jail time. Some told KHON2 that it sends the wrong message after a deadly New Year's Day on Oahu. Two arrests made in connection to deadly Aliamanu New Year's explosion The Department of the Attorney General said Wolfgang Clark and Daniel Young were accused of selling illegal fireworks in 2024. The AG's office said both men were recently granted a deferred plea despite the state's objection. The men will receive four years of court supervision, a $5,000 fine and no jail time. 'The biggest term that usually happens during this period is that they can't commit another crime and they certainly can't commit the same crime again during this time. If they do, then this deferral goes away and it automatically becomes a conviction,' said legal expert Doug Chin. The case involving Clark and Young occurred before the . Download the free KHON2 app for iOS or Android to stay informed on the latest news A former judge said courts have given the accused a chance to expunge the charges from their record if they stay out of trouble for their court supervision period by deferring a conviction. 'So what's the consequences now by giving a deferral? At the end of the four year period, it gets wiped out,' said former judge Randal Lee. 'Like if it never happened.' Lawmakers said current legislation increases penalties that would have impacted this case if they had been law. Hawaii only has two illegal fireworks investigators 'My feeling is that if we're going to get a handle on it, the penalties are going to have to be a little harsher because typically, the real deterrent is thinking you're going to get caught,' said Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Sen. Karl Rhoads. Rhoads pointed out that illegal fireworks cases have rarely even made it to prosecution in Hawaii in the past, and he is a little disappointed in the light punishment but said the process itself is a step in the right direction. 'Whether you spend any time in jail, having to pay a fine and having to be monitored for I think it was four years, that does not do you any good,' Sen. Rhoads said. 'It moved in the right direction, but then by granting a deferral is basically saying it never happened,' Lee said. 'It's kind of like getting into the concert, but then you can't hear anything.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Woman, 30, is sixth to die from Aliamanu fireworks
A sixth person died Wednesday morning after suffering critical injuries at an Aliamanu New Year's party when a stockpile of illegal aerial fireworks detonated at 12 :01 a.m. in an explosion that also injured dozens. At about 5 :59 a.m. Wednesday, the 30-year-old woman. She is the 'sixth death in this incident, ' according to Honolulu police, and has not been identified. The woman died the same day state on several proposals designed to help law enforcement combat the proliferation of illegal aerial fireworks. Gov. Josh Green proposes issuing $300 citations to those caught with illegal fireworks and felony charges for fireworks incidents that lead to injuries or death. House Bill 1005 and Senate Bill 1324 would make selling illegal fireworks that injure or kill someone a Class B felony with up to 10 years in prison and a $10, 000 fine. The bills also call for enhanced penalties and new legal language aimed at easing 'the standard of proof ' to allow citations and make enforcement easier. A bill before the state Senate, Senate Bill 999, would repeal 'all permissible uses of consumer fireworks ' and make conforming amendments to the Fireworks Control Law. The measure establishes $500 civil penalties for the 'use and sale of consumer fireworks, ' including nuisance abatement proceedings and forfeiture of assets used in the commission of the illegal use or sale of consumer fireworks. Don 't miss out on what 's happening ! Stay in touch with breaking news, as it happens, conveniently in your email inbox. It 's FREE ! Email 28141 Sign Up By clicking to sign up, you agree to Star-Advertiser 's and Google 's and. This form is protected by reCAPTCHA. The bill would set up a Firework Forfeiture Special Fund to deposit 'asset forfeiture proceeds ' and to provide for community 'safety education ' programs that would ban all consumer fireworks by prohibiting their sale and use. State lawmakers banned all aerial fireworks in 2000, except for official public displays. The Honolulu City Council banned all fireworks except for firecrackers in 2011. On Friday afternoon, after they allegedly let their minor children set off illegal fireworks at the Aliamanu house party. A total of 10 people have now been arrested in connection with the deadliest fireworks explosion in Hawaii since April 7, 2011. In that incident, and two were injured after a fire ignited confiscated illegal aerial fireworks in an underground former military munitions bunker in Waikele. Demi Alyssa Mendoza, 31, and Dao Rin, 32, were arrested on suspicion of first-degree reckless endangerment, first-degree endangering the welfare of a minor and three fireworks offenses. The couple allegedly allowed their 9-and 11-year-old children to play with illegal fireworks, according to Honolulu police. Michael Jr. Reyes Cabato, 29, and Aidalys Britanee P. Pe Benito, 28, the parents of a 1-year-old, were also arrested. Cabato was arrested on suspicion of endangering the welfare of a minor and three fireworks offenses, and the 28-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of endangering the welfare of a minor. None of the children of Friday were wounded in the deadly blast. A 'cake ' filled with about 50 individual cartridges of aerial fireworks fell on its side and shot into two crates of fireworks, setting off a large explosion at about 12 :01 a.m. Jan. 1 that was recorded by eyewitnesses and drones, shared online and broadcast on television. More arrests, charges and a joint investigation with federal law enforcement agencies into the source of the illegal fireworks are ongoing. The U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives would be among the federal agencies assisting HPD, police have said. Investigators seized more than 500 pounds of unexploded illegal fireworks from cars belonging to guests attending the party and in the carport of the home where the blast occurred at 4144 Keaka Drive. Four people arrested on Jan. 29 were released pending investigation.
