Committee names Robin Crusat as Officer of the Month
KAILUA-KONA — The Kona Crime Prevention Committee named officer Robin Crusat as the March Officer of the Month, the committee announced in a press release Friday.
Officer Crusat, known as “Uncle Robin,” is a member of the Hawaii Police Department’s Kona community policing section. He manages the South Kona sector, beginning at Halekii Street at the Captain Cook post office, to the south boundary of the district, ending at Manuka State Wayside Park. This sector includes a mixture of agricultural, business, recreational and residential lands.
During his time in the community policing section, Crusat has made it his goal to rid his sector of all abandoned vehicles. Since January of 2017, he has had 92 abandoned vehicles removed, 24 of which were from this year alone.
In 2017, Crusat issued nearly 500 citations for various traffic infractions.
Crusat has also revived old neighborhood watch groups, started up new ones and continues to maintain open and friendly relationships with current watches. The Kona Crime Prevention Committee awarded Crusat the Officer of the Month because they believe he is respected by his peers and is an asset to the Hawaii Police Department.
Navy wife who lost kidneys after giving birth awarded $24.7M
HONOLULU — A woman who lost both her kidneys when she went to an Army hospital for the birth of her third child has been awarded $24.7 million.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Kevin S.C. Chang found that Marites Campano was severely and permanently injured as a result of sepsis caused by a bacterial infection that was not diagnosed or treated in a timely manner.
The 37-year-old woman was pale, had low blood pressure and a fast heart rate after arriving at Tripler Medical Center in July 2013. Her condition deteriorated, but she didn’t receive intravenous antibiotics, according to court documents.
By the time she was sent to the intensive-care unit, she suffered from multi-organ failure and was put on a ventilator. Campano lost both her kidneys and will need care for the rest of her life.
“What happened there was totally unnecessary,” said Rick Fried, the woman’s attorney. “It has been a very, very rough course and has totally changed her life.”
The case went to trial only for damages because the government admitted liability.
A $10 million settlement agreed to by the federal government in June was rejected by the U.S. Attorney General’s office.
$5K reward offered for cat-tosser
HONOLULU — The Hawaiian Humane Society has offered a $5,000 reward for any tips leading to the arrest of a man who appeared to throw a cat off a ledge in a video posted on social media.
The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported Thursday that the video posted on social media has since been taken down. The Instagram and Facebook posts were reposted on Stolen Stuff Hawaii’s Facebook page.
Humane Society spokeswoman Allison Andrade Gammel said community members donated money to the cause. She said that it is an animal cruelty case, which could be classified up to as a Class C felony.
Gammel said they have leads pointing to an individual.
Humane Society investigators are deputized by the Honolulu Police Department.