6-22-15 Hawaii:
LIHUE — A Waimea man is suing the Kauai Community Correctional Center warden for false imprisonment and “deceptive practices.”
On June 5, Edward K. Nakaula Jr., 57, of Waimea filed a pro se suit against KCCC Warden Neal Wagatsuma for his detainment from Feb. 10, 2012, to Sept. 21, 2014.
According to court documents, Nakaula’s complaint includes not having received access to due process. He also challenges the legitimacy of Hawaii state laws and refutes the charges filed against him for failing to comply with sex offender registration requirements.
Nakaula was charged with 25 counts of failure to comply with covered offender registration requirements. He was charged with failing to register after a change in registration information and for submitting a document that contained false registration information. He also was charged with other related statutory requirement offenses including not complying with annual in-person registration.
In 1994, Nakaula was convicted of third-degree sexual assault. Nakaula served two and a half years in jail. He is now registered as a sex offender. Nakaula is suing Wagatsuma for more than $500,000, according to court records.
Toni Schwartz, spokesperson for the Department of Public Safety, said that she has not received the court documents and has no comment on the suit. ..Source.. by Monique Rowan
June 22, 2015
Sex offender sues KCCC warden
November 28, 2014
Exclusive: State doubles evictions from public housing this fall
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - A federal and state crackdown has prompted increased evictions from public housing projects across the state, with more on the way.
The Inspector General's office from the U.S. Housing Department has been investigating tenants at federal housing projects on Oahu for the past several months, sources said. Federal agents have been interviewing tenants and checking their backgrounds, tenants said. That federal probe along with the state's own investigations have been getting results.
"We believe that each property has a certain amount of fraud happening and it's truly difficult for us to know until we actually do an investigation," said Hawaii Public Housing Authority Executive Director Hakim Ouansafi.
Ouansafi won't confirm or deny the federal probe. He said his own state investigators are cracking down on whether tenants are lying about their household income to qualify for public housing or covering up felony or sex offender criminal backgrounds that would get them thrown out. Others try to hide assets such as bank and investments accounts, Ouansafi said.
Sources said the feds are using FBI and IRS agents who could bring federal criminal charges against fraudulent tenants at 5,500 federal housing units across the state.
"Not only people might lose their housing, but they maybe end up in jail. It's a matter that we take very seriously," Ouansafi said.
Ouansafi said dozens of tenants have been evicted statewide in the last several months, roughly twice as many as last fall. Another six or evictions are still ongoing, he said.
"We were able to evict a tremendous amount of people who were taking advantage of the taxpayers," Ouansafi said.
He said the highest percentage of evictions is on Kauai, where tenants are getting kicked out for failing to pay their rent or breaking rules such as drinking in public.
"Kauai seems to stand up as probably one of the worst, followed by Oahu, then by Maui and then the Big Island," Ouansafi added.
Another federal program called Section 8 pays rent subsidies to private landlords of low-income people. Ouansafi said so far three families have lost their vouchers on Oahu because they were committing fraud, including one accused of receiving fraudulent rent subsidies for six years.
The crackdown comes at a time when the Housing Authority has reached its highest occupancy level ever and there is still a waiting list. So evictions are making room for legitimately needy families to find a new home. ..Source.. by Keoki Kerr
March 23, 2014
Cops Can't Have Sex With Prostitutes, Hawaiian Lawmakers Say
Headlines across the nation and around the Web — such as the one we posted on Friday that read "In Hawaii, Sex With A Prostitute May Be Legal For Undercover Cops" — have led to promises of quick action:
— "Hawaii lawmakers to end prostitution exemption," .When legislators started crafting legislation aimed at toughening the state's laws on prostitution and some other crimes, they initially proposed removing a decades-old provision in Hawaiian law that makes it legal for law enforcement officers who are "acting in the course and scope of [their] duties" to engage in sexual acts with prostitutes.
— "HPD prostitute exemption might go," .
— "Lawmakers vow ban on police sex with prostitutes," .
Honolulu's police department raised objections to the plan to end the exemption, saying that officers need it because in some cases their safety and investigations might be at risk if too much is known about what they can and cannot do. Hawaii's state House restored the exemption and passed the legislation.
As our colleagues at Hawaii Public Radio report, the police department says it was not asking that officers be allowed "to engage in sexual penetration." But, the department said, if the legislation as originally written had been enacted, "we would be publicly revealing specific undercover officer guidelines and Hawaii's prostitutes, 'pimps,' and johns would be able to use the information to avoid prosecution and continue their illegal activity." ..Continue.. by NPR
December 8, 2013
Hawaii Researcher Studies Effects Of Child Pornography
Says Porn Lowers Sex Abuse Of Children
HONOLULU —A University of Hawaii researcher believes some form of child pornography could be beneficial, based on his findings from years of evidence.
Pornography is easily accessible in America and accepted by millions, but it is a different story when it comes to child pornography.
"I think it's very disgusting thing that men and women partake in it. It is very dehumanizing for a student or a child to endure that kind of abuse," said Marcia Howard, of Waimanalo.
Looking over decades of data from countries where pornography was illegal but is now legal, University of Hawaii researcher professor Milton Diamond discovered something significant.
"Everywhere that pornography has been introduced sex crimes have gone down," said Diamond.
Especially sex crimes committed against children.
"In those three countries where child porn is legal the sex abuse against children is very low and it has gone down compared to when it was illegal," added Diamond.
That startling fact, along with his study will be published Wednesday in the Archives of Sexual Behavior.
Diamond said child pornography gives would-be abusers a different outlet to channel their desires.
"We think the perpetrator is more likely to use pornography to masturbate and not go after kids, so we think it's better for kids," said Diamond.
Diamond made it clear, he is not a proponent of using children for pornography.
"I don't think they should use kids to make child porn. They can do it artificially and if that reduces child sex crimes, I think that is a plus," said Diamond.
But some worried encouraging any pedophilic behavior is just asking for trouble.
"What's to say a person watching a porn with a doll wouldn't get tired of a doll and then want to find a vulnerable child to do that with. I don't think that's a good idea at all," said Howard.
As part of his research Diamond also looked at countries that have recently made child pornography illegal and said the rate of child sex abuse there is rising. ..Source.. by KITV.com
February 9, 2012
Sexting could become a crime
2-9-2012 Hawaii:
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Sexting may not be too smart but should it be against the law? Senate Bill 2222 prohibits adults from asking minors for nude pictures and it would also outlaw minors from sending nude pictures of themselves to adults or other kids.
The idea is to protect the child because once the image is sent out there is little control over it going public. The photos can be used as blackmail and have led to suicide in other states. For those reasons the Attorney General's office supports the bill and so do some teenagers we spoke with.
"They're too young to be exposed to that kind of stuff so I think it's probably for the best," said Gerry Mar, High School Student.
"To experience sexual things and they're harassing themselves not respecting themselves," said Kayla Ranga, High School Student. "It's good that they're planning to make it illegal."
"I have gotten some but I do not do that. I delete it and I don't ask because I feel like that's, even as tempting as it sounds it's a violation even to have a picture of them half naked or anything. I really don't like that," said Raymond Ababa, High School Student. "I would say it's a big problem in the wrong hands. If it were to get out of hand and that person were to send it to everyone because it could ruin their potential if they want to go out into college that picture might be brought up saying oh something happened and it could ruin that person's future and it does scale into a very big problem."
The ACLU of Hawaii opposes the idea. They don't condone sexting but they also don't think kids should be criminalized for bad judgment.
"Child pornography laws were enacted to protect our children from dangerous predators, not criminalize our children for exercising poor judgment. Parents and educators need to create an open and honest dialogue around these issues, they need to inform teens about respect for their peers, privacy, using electronic media responsibly. Harsh criminal penalties will only serve to stigmatize our children and prevent them from becoming productive adults," said Laurie Temple, American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii.
What message lawmakers send on the sexting subject remains to be seen.
A former educational assistant has been charged with the state's first sexting case. Cody Onizuka has pleaded not guilty to exchanging sexual texts with a 12 year old student he allegedly met at Niu Valley Middle School. His trial is scheduled for May. ..Source.. by Hawaii News Now
