Sex Offenders on the Loose
Hawaii has about 3,000 convicted sex offenders of which 176 have not registered with the state as required, according to Joshua A. Wisch, Special Assistant to the Attorney General.
The Hawaii Criminal Justice Data Center manages the central registry of sex offenders for the State of Hawaii and those convicted of certain sex offenses must register.
See the law here: Hawaii Revised Statutes Section 846E-2.
According to the state attorney general’s web site, sex offenders must make public their name, prior names, aliases, nicknames and pseudonyms, year of birth and alias year of births, physical description including scars and tattoos, photograph, residence, temporary and future addresses, personal vehicles(s) driven, street name of employment and volunteer location, college/university affiliation, and crime for which convicted, judgment of conviction, judgment of acquittal, or judicial determination of unfitness to proceed for which the offender is registered, and the provision of law defining the criminal offense.
The attorney general does have investigators who team up with U.S. Marshals to actively track down these offenders, Wisch said.
Jury Awards Couple $3.87 Million in Molokai Harassment Case
Retired California firefighter Jim Bevill and his wife, Nancy, were awarded $3.87 million by a Maui jury last week in a legal case handled by Honolulu Attorney Terry Revere.
The couple from California moved to Molokai’s Ke Nani Kai Condominium on the west end of the island in 2004.
According to a statement from Revere, their new home on the so called “Friendly Isle” soon turned out to be anything but friendly.
“The Bevills found themselves targets of threats, harassment and intimidation by an unlicensed contractor with a criminal record, who was hired to do various tasks around the complex by the resident manager. A small group of apartment owners that controlled the condominium board of directors either directed or condoned the campaign of abuse,” he said.
The lawsuit, which won a record judgement, was filed against Ke Nani Kai Association of Apartment Owners, its board of directors, and several individuals.
Revere, who described the saga as the “the West Molokai version of Lord of the Flies or the equivalent of a John Ford Western where an isolated town is run by a villain and his collection of thugs,” said the intimidation lasted for at least six years and continued even after the lawsuit was filed.
Inouye Staunch Supporter of Affordable Healthcare Act Now Being Challenged in U.S. Supreme Court
A major battle is underway in the U.S. Supreme Court this week. Justices are hearing oral arguments for the next three days on whether the controversial individual mandate forcing Americans to buy a health care in the 2-year-old Affordable Healthcare Act is constitutional.
The Obama administration is defending the law while 26 states and several private parties are challenging its constitutionality.
The justices will decide whether to uphold the law, strike it down or get disallow some provisions, with a decision likely coming by June.
The Heritage Foundation said “If the Court upholds the mandate, America will be facing a law that vests untold power and resources in the hands of the federal government, that transfers health care decision making from individuals to unelected bureaucrats, and that increases costs while decreasing access.”
U.S. Senator Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, is a staunch supporter of the bill, which he helped get passed. On the second anniversary of the legislation’s enactment, which was last Friday, Inouye said:
“Two years ago our nation enacted the most sweeping overhaul of America’s health care system since Medicare first began enrolling patients in July of 1966. It was a change that complimented Hawaii’s own historic health care law, the Prepaid Health Care Act.”
He added: “Working together, the Congress and the President finally restored a measure of fairness to our healthcare system by forcing insurance companies to put patient care ahead of corporate profit. The law requires insurance companies to pay for cancer screenings, eliminate coverage limits, and ensures continued coverage if a worker is laid-off or changes jobs. More children have basic health insurance, and seniors do not have to choose between putting food on the table or filling their prescriptions. Soon, consumers will not be denied health insurance for having a pre-existing medical condition. … I am proud to have been a part of the process that brought every American comprehensive healthcare reform and I will stand firm with my colleagues who seek to improve it.”
Inouye said he cannot state strongly enough that repealing this landmark reform and returning to the planning phase is an unacceptable proposal.
Oral arguments in the case are expected to continue through Wednesday with a decision by the high court coming in June of this year.