Latest news with #MaileAmberAlert
Yahoo
a day ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
What is an emergency alert?
HONOLULU (KHON2) — Cellphone users across the state received a test emergency alert, but the Hawaiʻi Emergency Management Agency said that a live emergency alert went out to some users during the test, despite there not being an emergency. The test was initially sent out shortly after 11 a.m., and it appears that the test was not intended to be released to the public, but was meant for internal use. Honolulu introduces new emergency alert system This is not the first time an accidental emergency was declared, following the 2018 false ballistic missile warning. But with the prevalence of emergency alerts, it can be difficult to understand the different types of alerts and how they vary throughout the islands. According to the state, there are different regions for alerts, with each region consisting of multiple separate types of alerts. Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, Maui and Kauaʻi Counties each have their own alert system, with the state having their own system that alerts all residents. There are numerous alerts that can reach any of the islands, such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's weather alerts, which is helpful especially during hurricane season. Download the free KHON2 app for iOS or Android to stay informed on the latest news Alongside those alerts, the state can send out messages relation to their Earthquake Notification Service, Maile Amber Alert and more. While most county-specific alerts require a manual registration to receive them, many statewide alerts do not require registration and will automatically be sent to mobile devices in the area. For Honolulu, there are four different types of alerts that go out to mobile devices. The most broad of them is HNL Alert, which is a recently-debuted emergency system that the state describes as 'a one stop site for all city services. Where you can stay informed about traffic situations, beach/ocean alerts, weather advisories and more.' HNL Alerts can be sent to your mobile phone, as well as your email, allowing you to customize where is the best place to receive your information. The Department of Transportation also issues their own lane closure alerts for the island of Oʻahu. TheBus also sends alerts pertaining to issues regarding routes or services to those who utilize the transit service. While not necessarily an alert, the City and County of Honolulu also offers live traffic flow information with the help of traffic cameras, which can be used in tandem with traffic and emergency alerts to better plan your Hawaiʻi Island, there is a series of outdoor warning sirens, which can be found on the county's Civil Defense Agency's website. While not a mobile alert, the in-person alert can be just as helpful. Mobile emergency alerts, also through the Civil Defense Agency, can also be received to your phone or email. Those interested in staying in-the-know can sign up online for the alerts. The Hawaiʻi Police Department also issues alerts regarding public safety on their Nixle page, where residents may sign up to receive those alerts straight to their devices. Kauaʻi County has the fewest county-specific alerts, with their main form being the Kauaʻi County Alerts system which, similarly to other islands, can go to your mobile device or email. To sign up up for alerts, fill out the online opt-in form. For Maui County, residents can sign up for the main alert system for messages directly to them. For registration instructions, visit the sign-up website. For the complete list of state and county-wide alerts, visit the State of Hawaiʻi's website. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Yahoo
Amber Alert canceled for missing boy on Maui
UPDATE : 11 :28 a.m. At about 11 :15 a.m., Kaili and Ocean were located in good health on Hawaii island, according to an update from Maui Police Department in an email. EARLIER COVERAGE Authorities have issued a county-wide Maile Amber Alert for a 1-year-old boy after his teenage mother left their Kula residence and has not been seen since. According to the Maui Police Department, 17-year-old Lilinoe Kaili was last seen around 10 a.m. Monday leaving her home on Pahilikoa Street in Kula with her 1-year-old son, Ocean. A family member reported that she got into a silver Toyota 4Runner with multiple bags before departing. The vehicle's license plate number remains unknown. 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. Kaili was reported to be upset before leaving, following a disagreement regarding Ocean being cared for by family members. Attempts to reach her by phone have been unsuccessful. On Tuesday at 9 :49 a.m., MPD issued a Maile Amber Alert out of concern for Ocean's safety. Anyone with information on Lilinoe Kaili or Ocean's whereabouts is urged to contact MPD immediately. Call MPD's non-emergency number at 808-244-6400. 0 Comments By participating in online discussions you acknowledge that you have agreed to the. An insightful discussion of ideas and viewpoints is encouraged, but comments must be civil and in good taste, with no personal attacks. If your comments are inappropriate, you may be banned from posting. Report comments if you believe they do not follow our. Having trouble with comments ? .
Yahoo
15-03-2025
- Yahoo
Hilo man gets 30 years for sexual assault of teen
LAURA RUMINSKI / WEST HAWAII TODAY Duncan Mahi, 54, of Hilo was sentenced Friday to 30 years in prison for the 2022 abduction and sexual assault of a 15-year-old girl. LAURA RUMINSKI / WEST HAWAII TODAY Duncan Mahi, 54, of Hilo was sentenced Friday to 30 years in prison for the 2022 abduction and sexual assault of a 15-year-old girl. A 54-year-old Hilo man was sentenced Friday to 30 years in prison for the 2022 abduction and sexual assault of a 15-year-old girl who was taken from a West Hawaii beach to his Hilo property and shackled inside a bus. Kona Circuit Chief Judge Wendy DeWeese also ordered Duncan Mahi to serve a mandatory minimum of 20 years in prison. Mahi negotiated a plea deal Dec. 31 with the state. In exchange for his no-contest plea to one count of first-degree sexual assault and first-and second-degree kidnapping, the state dismissed the eight remaining counts of his 11-count indictment. Those dismissed counts include first-and third-degree sexual assault, methamphetamine trafficking, two counts of first-degree robbery and two counts of first-degree terroristic threatening. The girl told police she was with her boyfriend, also 15, at Anaehoomalu Beach on Sept. 16, 2022, when Mahi robbed them of their cellphones and $50. She also related how Mahi forced her to zip-tie and tape her boyfriend's legs and hands together, gag him with his own shirt and cover his head with a towel and tape it. Mahi then kidnapped her at knifepoint and led her to his car. He forced the girl to smoke meth, made her perform sexual acts on him and fondled her as he drove to Hilo. He took her to his property where he shackled her inside a bus. 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 girl convinced him to take her to get some food, and she managed to escape from Mahi's grasp the following day at 11 :26 a.m. Sept. 17, 2022, while in an alleyway near a Hilo restaurant, with the help of good Samaritans. Her captor claimed he was the girl's father, but witnesses recognized the girl from the Maile Amber Alert. One witness took a photo of the car as he fled. Mahi was arrested at 2 :51 p.m. Sept. 17, 2022, in Hilo. DeWeese told Mahi before meeting out his sentence : 'Your actions devastated the lives of two young people and their families, and cut our community to its core. … 'You victimized two young people in a particularly cruel way, in a way that they will probably never fully recover, in a way that will likely haunt them and their families and their loved ones forever.' DeWeese told Mahi that the victims 'submitted to the state to make you a plea offer to allow you to avoid the likelihood of life in prison.' Deputy Prosecutor Kaua Jackson asked the court for consecutive sentencing. DeWeese sentenced Mahi to consecutive sentencing on the two kidnapping charges. First-degree kid napping carries a 20-year sentence, while the second-degree charge has a 10-year term, for a total of 30 years. DeWeese handed down a 20-year sentence for the first-degree sexual assault to run concurrently with the 30-year sentence. (Mahi was also assessed a fee of $1, 515 to go to the Crime Victim Compensation Fund.) The judge told the 54-year-old he poses 'an unacceptable risk of re-offending unless you are confined for an extended period of time, ' citing his violent criminal history. She told him his behavior was 'planned and predatory and not spur-of-the-moment, driven by your drug use. You had zip ties. You had tape. You had shackles.' DeWeese added that many in the community abuse drugs, 'but they do not behave in the way you did. They do not go out and sexually assault and kidnap children.' She said his actions 'show a deep level of dysfunction, depravity and disrespect for and disregard of the rights of others and the community.' The judge said, 'Most importantly, the court has considered and respects the victims' position in this case. And based thereon, the court agrees that your crimes warrant a consecutive sentence. Out of respect for the victims, the court bound itself to that agreement.' With regard to the plea agreement, which avoids a trial requiring the victims to testify, Hawaii County Prosecutor Kelden Waltjen said in a written statement : 'Our Office values victim input and the importance of victim well-being. 'Sexual assault cases, especially those involving minors, are some of the most traumatic types of criminal victimization. The victims and their families were consulted and very involved throughout the plea negotiations in this case.' Waltjen lauded good Samaritans Bridge Hartman and Kori Takaki, 'whose quick thinking and actions likely saved (the girl's ) life.' He recognized the 'bravery and courage ' of both victims in the case. 'I hope today's sentencing offers them and their families some closure and a sense that justice was served. 'Hawaii island is a big island but a small community, ' adding, 'We lean on each other for strength, and that's what makes us resilient.' He praised the hard work of Deputy Prosecutors Kate Perazich and Jackson, his office's Victim's Assistance Unit, the Hawaii Police Department, lead detective Steven Grace and the other officers and personnel who worked on the case, along with federal and state law enforcement partners. Waltjen thanked the Missing Child Center and the Maile Amber Alert coordinator.
Yahoo
15-03-2025
- Yahoo
Hilo man gets 30 years for sexual assault of teen
LAURA RUMINSKI / WEST HAWAII TODAY Duncan Mahi, 54, of Hilo was sentenced Friday to 30 years in prison for the 2022 abduction and sexual assault of a 15-year-old girl. LAURA RUMINSKI / WEST HAWAII TODAY Duncan Mahi, 54, of Hilo was sentenced Friday to 30 years in prison for the 2022 abduction and sexual assault of a 15-year-old girl. A 54-year-old Hilo man was sentenced Friday to 30 years in prison for the 2022 abduction and sexual assault of a 15-year-old girl who was taken from a West Hawaii beach to his Hilo property and shackled inside a bus. Kona Circuit Chief Judge Wendy DeWeese also ordered Duncan Mahi to serve a mandatory minimum of 20 years in prison. Mahi negotiated a plea deal Dec. 31 with the state. In exchange for his no-contest plea to one count of first-degree sexual assault and first-and second-degree kidnapping, the state dismissed the eight remaining counts of his 11-count indictment. Those dismissed counts include first-and third-degree sexual assault, methamphetamine trafficking, two counts of first-degree robbery and two counts of first-degree terroristic threatening. The girl told police she was with her boyfriend, also 15, at Anaehoomalu Beach on Sept. 16, 2022, when Mahi robbed them of their cellphones and $50. She also related how Mahi forced her to zip-tie and tape her boyfriend's legs and hands together, gag him with his own shirt and cover his head with a towel and tape it. Mahi then kidnapped her at knifepoint and led her to his car. He forced the girl to smoke meth, made her perform sexual acts on him and fondled her as he drove to Hilo. He took her to his property where he shackled her inside a bus. 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 girl convinced him to take her to get some food, and she managed to escape from Mahi's grasp the following day at 11 :26 a.m. Sept. 17, 2022, while in an alleyway near a Hilo restaurant, with the help of good Samaritans. Her captor claimed he was the girl's father, but witnesses recognized the girl from the Maile Amber Alert. One witness took a photo of the car as he fled. Mahi was arrested at 2 :51 p.m. Sept. 17, 2022, in Hilo. DeWeese told Mahi before meeting out his sentence : 'Your actions devastated the lives of two young people and their families, and cut our community to its core. … 'You victimized two young people in a particularly cruel way, in a way that they will probably never fully recover, in a way that will likely haunt them and their families and their loved ones forever.' DeWeese told Mahi that the victims 'submitted to the state to make you a plea offer to allow you to avoid the likelihood of life in prison.' Deputy Prosecutor Kaua Jackson asked the court for consecutive sentencing. DeWeese sentenced Mahi to consecutive sentencing on the two kidnapping charges. First-degree kid napping carries a 20-year sentence, while the second-degree charge has a 10-year term, for a total of 30 years. DeWeese handed down a 20-year sentence for the first-degree sexual assault to run concurrently with the 30-year sentence. (Mahi was also assessed a fee of $1, 515 to go to the Crime Victim Compensation Fund.) The judge told the 54-year-old he poses 'an unacceptable risk of re-offending unless you are confined for an extended period of time, ' citing his violent criminal history. She told him his behavior was 'planned and predatory and not spur-of-the-moment, driven by your drug use. You had zip ties. You had tape. You had shackles.' DeWeese added that many in the community abuse drugs, 'but they do not behave in the way you did. They do not go out and sexually assault and kidnap children.' She said his actions 'show a deep level of dysfunction, depravity and disrespect for and disregard of the rights of others and the community.' The judge said, 'Most importantly, the court has considered and respects the victims' position in this case. And based thereon, the court agrees that your crimes warrant a consecutive sentence. Out of respect for the victims, the court bound itself to that agreement.' With regard to the plea agreement, which avoids a trial requiring the victims to testify, Hawaii County Prosecutor Kelden Waltjen said in a written statement : 'Our Office values victim input and the importance of victim well-being. 'Sexual assault cases, especially those involving minors, are some of the most traumatic types of criminal victimization. The victims and their families were consulted and very involved throughout the plea negotiations in this case.' Waltjen lauded good Samaritans Bridge Hartman and Kori Takaki, 'whose quick thinking and actions likely saved (the girl's ) life.' He recognized the 'bravery and courage ' of both victims in the case. 'I hope today's sentencing offers them and their families some closure and a sense that justice was served. 'Hawaii island is a big island but a small community, ' adding, 'We lean on each other for strength, and that's what makes us resilient.' He praised the hard work of Deputy Prosecutors Kate Perazich and Jackson, his office's Victim's Assistance Unit, the Hawaii Police Department, lead detective Steven Grace and the other officers and personnel who worked on the case, along with federal and state law enforcement partners. Waltjen thanked the Missing Child Center and the Maile Amber Alert coordinator.
Yahoo
15-03-2025
- Yahoo
Convicted kidnapper Duncan Mahi sentenced to 30 years: Family and rescuers speak out
HILO, Hawaii (KHON2) — In a Hilo courtroom, Duncan Mahi sat silently as the judge handed down a 30-year prison sentence. He had pleaded 'No Contest' to two counts of kidnapping and one count of first degree sexual assault as part of a plea agreement. 'You had zip ties, you had tape, you had shackles. This evidence is planning and predatory and while I'm sure drugs played a role, you cannot blame your actions on drug use,' said Hawaii Third Circuit Court Judge Wendy DeWeese. 'You victimized two young people in a particularly cruel way. In a way from which they will probably never recover.' 'We want to have every tool available to prosecute them': Lawmakers to hear bill that would make torture a felony In September 2022, Mahi threatened the then 15-year-old teenager with a knife and forced her to tie up her boyfriend before she was abducted. Court documents say the teen was shackled inside a yellow bus behind Mahi's home where she was held for nearly 22 hours, forced to smoke meth and was sexually assaulted. The terrifying ordeal took a dramatic turn when the girl and Mahi entered Cafe Pesto in Hilo where two quick thinking good Samaritans recognized her from an Amber Alert. The two were in attendance at today's sentencing hearing. 'It's going to be a lifetime of healing I think for her, but I'm happy for her. I'm hoping this is a little bit of closure for her, so she can move on,' said Kori Takaki, who helped with the girl's rescue. 'I think she's the bravest one here,' said Bridge Hartman, who was the first to recognize her from the alert.'I'm so blown away by the courage of his young woman and the strength of this family and the commitment of this community to come together to support folks that have been through a parent's worst nightmare,' said the family's attorney, Jeffery Foster. After the sentencing, the teen's parents thanked the community for their support and swift actions of those who helped rescue their daughter, who they also credit for helping to save herself. 'We're thankful that we still have our daughter with us,' said Derek Debina, the teen's father. 'She was so smart, she was so brilliant, she manipulated and outsmarted her abductor and she is her own hero,' said her mother Cherese Angelel. Woman accused of killing adopted daughter pleads not guilty Prosecutors say the victim and her family were consulted in the plea agreement, which allows the victim from having to go to trial. 'We wanted to make sure that everyone in the community includes the victims in this case and their families had the ability to give the input and guide us in decision making process and we believe the end result is just,' said Kauanoe Jackson, deputy prosecuting attorney. The state's second-ever activation of the Maile Amber Alert was during the search for the teen. This was also the state's first time using the wireless emergency alert system statewide. A Maile Amber alert can be triggered when police believe a child has been abducted and is in danger. Amanda Leonard of the Missing Child Center of Hawaii says the successful recovery of the teen in this case proves the system works. The center serves as the statewide coordinator for the Maile Amber Alert. 'Maile Amber Alert is about galvanizing an entire community to search for an abducted child. Somebody might be in the right place at the right time that can see the child and take action to recover that child and then of course alert the police,' Leonard said. The victim's parents say their daughter is doing excellent and happy to move with her life. 'At this point we all are, closure is a wonderful thing. And she's ready to head off to college,' Angelel said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
