Hawai’i County News Briefs

A wastewater force main that ruptured in 2017, sending sewage into Kailua Bay, will soon be replaced if the County Council approves a measure increasing the cost to $1.7 million.

The project will be paid for with $1.5 million in state water pollution control revolving loans and $200,000 from county general obligation bonds and other sources.

That’s $400,000 more than first anticipated. It was revised upward based on engineers’ cost estimates for construction and project contingencies, said county Environmental Management staff in a request to the Council, which will take up the measure next week.

Kailua Bay was closed to swimming and fishing for two days following the spill. The leak occurred near the Lanihau Wastewater Pump Station on Palani Road fronting King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel. The waste flowed into nearby storm drains that empty into the bay.

The county stemmed the leak at the time, but the emergency repairs to sections of the failing 6-inch cast iron pipe revealed the integrity of the entire section was severely compromised, requiring replacement of a 677-foot section to avoid additional pipe failures that would result in the release of raw sewage into Kailua Bay.

The pipes beneath Alii Drive are among the oldest on the island, and upgrading and modernizing the system could be a multi-million-dollar endeavor, said Environmental Management Director Bill Kucharski at the time.

The cast iron will be replaced with something less permeable to salt water. Estimated future flow for the pump station is 1.9 million gallons per day.

The exact date work will commence is not yet known, Kucharski said Tuesday. Once the money is approved, the county will seek a contractor for the work.

“There most certainly will be some traffic disruption,” Kucharski said. “But this is absolutely critical that we get this done.”

Kucharski said affected businesses will be notified in advance of any work beginning in the area.

The project is just one of several crucial wastewater line repair projects around the island, Kucharski said. About $15 million worth have been identified so far.

Email Nancy Cook Lauer at ncook-lauer@westhawaiitoday.com.

A Hilo grand jury on Jan. 23 indicted two individuals in unrelated cases for alleged financial crimes.

In the first case, 26-year-old Justin A. Balucan is charged with first-degree forgery for allegedly passing counterfeit currency.

Balucan was arrested Nov. 30 in the parking lot of a private business on the 700 block of Kinoole Street in Hilo after allegedly passing $800 in counterfeit bills in a Craigslist transaction for a cellphone, according to police.

Balucan appeared on the charge Jan. 8 in Hilo District Court and was ordered by Judge Kanani Laubach to return Monday (Feb. 4) for a preliminary hearing. The indictment makes the district court case and preliminary hearing moot. Balucan will be re-arrested on a bench warrant issued with the indictment and the case will move to Hilo Circuit Court.

First-degree forgery is a Class B felony punishable by up to five years imprisonment upon conviction.

Balucan is free on $5,000 bail.

The second indictment is a welfare fraud case.

According to the document, Shantel Okinishi, also known as Shantel Reyes, is charged with first-degree theft for illegally receiving more than $20,000 in public assistance and/or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, commonly known as food stamps.

The indictment alleges Okinishi intentionally defrauded the state out of the benefits during a 4 1/2 year period between June 1, 2012, and Nov. 30, 2016.

First-degree theft is a Class B felony.

A bench warrant was issued for Okinishi’s arrest, with bail set at $2,000.

A search of court records turned up no felony convictions for either suspect.

Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.

A Kona doctor who pleaded guilty to prescription fraud, voluntarily forfeited his medical licenses and was sentenced to four years probation.

Kona Circuit Judge Melvin Fujino on Tuesday granted Clifton Arrington a deferred acceptance of his guilty plea, meaning if Arrington serves his four years of probation and fulfills the conditions listed in a plea agreement, he has the opportunity to have the charges dismissed with prejudice.

“I’m before you today because of serious errors I made,” Arrington stated to the court. “These errors were irresponsible and inexcusable.”

Arrington pleaded guilty to one count of prohibited acts, in which he pre-dated or pre-signed prescriptions to facilitate the obtaining or attempted obtaining of controlled substances. He also pleaded guilty to three counts of second-degree promotion of a dangerous drug, one count of second-degree promotion of a harmful drug and two counts of second-degree promotion of a harmful drug as a lesser offense.

The Ocean View man was first arrested March 17, 2016, at his North Kona office in the Honalo Business Center by the state Narcotics Enforcement Division while patients were awaiting appointments. At the time, Arrington was released pending the investigation.

After an indictment Aug. 8, 2017, Arrington turned himself in a few days later and was released on supervised release, according to court documents.

During Tuesday’s hearing, Deputy Prosecutor Kate Perazich stated the investigation began in March 2016 when one of Arrington’s patients attempted to fill medication at Costco that had a pre-dated prescription. It was at that point the doctor was flagged by the state.

Perazich told the court investigators recovered a large amount of prescription drugs at his office. While the court is aware of his occupation, Arrington’s state license only allowed him to prescribe narcotic medications, not possess them.

Perazich stated Arrington said he was not aware of the requirements by state law.

“At best, his decisions were reckless,” she said.

Arrington’s counsel, Richard H.S. Sing, said his client regrets his conduct.

“I think if you look at the rest of his life and career, his patients love and support him,” Sing said. “He’s done a lot of good work for them over the years.”

Sing added Arrington had a federal narcotics license that allowed him to distribute. It was an administrative error that never should have happened.

Sing said Arrington’s practice closed its doors Dec. 31. The doctor is largely retired, at this point.

Arrington explained in court that he would take back narcotic medications from patients who no longer needed them.

Part of Arrington’s sentence requires him to complete 200 hours of community service and pay more than $7,000 in restitution.

Arrington has practiced medicine in Honalo for more than 35 years. He specializes in anti-aging medicine and was licensed and registered by the state Department of Public Safety as a person who is able to distribute, dispense or conduct research with respect to a controlled substance.

Email Tiffany DeMasters at tdemasters@westhawaiitoday.com.