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INSIDE TODAY Read the sad story of Daysha Aiona-Aka, as told through her journals, her The Life and Death of Daysha family and her friends.

CROSSING THE LINE • ABUSE IN HAWAI‘I HOMES PART ONE INSIDE Stanford sweeps UH Rainbow Wahine System failure come up short in bid for NCAA Final Four

SPORTS | C1 DOMESTIC ABUSE VICTIMS FRUSTRATED BY GAPS IN SAFETY NET

BY ROB PEREZ INSIDE Advertiser Staff Writer Watch the • Domestic vio- So many battered women have lost lence data show a faith in Hawaiçi’s criminal justice system mixed picture | A12 that many are not reporting their beat- marathon • A snapshot of the ings and some even say the abuse can be View live streaming law | A15 more tolerable than the trauma of deal- • Domestic abuse ing with unsympathetic people in a gru- video from today’s murders are edg- eling judicial process. 36th Honolulu ing up | A15 “The system that was designed to Marathon at protect us ultimately is failing us,” said ONLINE Dara Carlin, a domestic-violence sur- HONOLULUADVERTISER.COM vivor and advocate. “The atrocities that • Queen of the happen are just disgusting.” PLUS: Map of the Ball: Presentation That lack of faith reflects a process on Daysha Aiona- that is unsatisfying to many victims and marathon’s route Aka’s journal, read their families, even when police catch through town by The Advertiser’s the abusers and prosecutors get con- HAWAIÇI | A31 Lee Cataluna victions — especially if the offenders re- • Multimedia ceive little or no jail time. guide: Test your Many victims also express disgust knowledge on about the civil side of Hawaiçi’s judicial leaving an abusive process, though many women turn to relationship the civil courts to get protective orders • Photo galleries: to try to prevent future abuse. More images on The distrust of the system is not sur- Hawaiçi domestic- prising: abuse cases • News about case outcomes consid- • Domestic vio- lence database: Search details of SEE BROKEN, A12 Hawaiçi murder Sooners’ QB cases linked to inti- mate-partner vio- wins Heisman lence VICTIMS OFTEN • Forum: Join the Oklahoma’s Bradford discussion on solv- RECANT ONCE ing the domestic- edges Texas’ McCoy, abuse problems. IN COURTROOM Florida’s Tebow BY ROB PEREZ SPORTS | C1 Advertiser Staff Writer For a prosecutor, taking a domestic violence case to a jury usually is a dicey THE ADVERTISER’S proposition and often results in an ac- quittal. BLOGS The August trial of Jerome Kealoha • Video: A domes- Jr. was no exception. tic violence forum Not only did the case illustrate the with stakeholders. challenges domestic-abuse prosecutions can present, it underscored how unpre- BROADCAST dictable and volatile such prosecutions can be. Quarterlife The chief challenge in this trial: over- coming the recanting of the key witness, Café • KGMB9 News Kealoha’s girlfriend, who told jurors she video: How does lied when she reported to police a year Kim Fassler blogs about the economy affect earlier that her boyfriend beat her. domestic violence? Also, the police who responded to the Quarterlifers and credit initial domestic-dispute call in July 2007 cards: the perils and took no photographs of Angela Olsen’s in- pluses of plastic. Read Go to HONOLULUADVER TISER.COM/DOMESTIC juries because none of the officers had a her comments and post VIOLENCE for more on JEFF WIDENER | The Honolulu Advertiser camera. That provided an opening for your own at this series. Deputy prosecutor Rom Trader shows photographs of battered women’s injuries that HONOLULUADVERTISER.COM were used as evidence in some of the domestic violence cases his office prosecuted. SEE LEGAL, A14 /BLOGS

TO SUBSCRIBE, CALL 538-NEWS 18 sections, 208 pages ★ Cars | G5-8 Maui widow gets VA to Kauaçi slammed by rain, maybe tornado Classifieds | G1-4 Crossword | D2 BY DIANA LEONE Editorials | B2 give money back to all Advertiser Kauaçi Bureau Hawai‘i | A31-40 HANAPEPE, Kauaçi — This west Kauaçi town was blasted yesterday Jobs | H1-6 BY WILL HOOVER Advertiser Staff Writer by high wind that may have been a Movie ads | D7 VA HELP LINE Thanks to an 83-year-old Maui tornado, while the rest of the Gar- Obituaries | A32 woman, tens of thousands of wid- Widows and widowers of den Island got a soaking and numer- Travel | E1-6 ows and widowers of veterans veterans who believe they ous mudslides, downed trees and Weather | A4 will receive millions of dollars were wrongfully denied pay- road closures from high water. in federal benefits wrongfully de- ments can call the VA’s help During the 24-hour period ending © COPYRIGHT, 2008 nied them over the past 12 years. line at 800-827-1000. at 5 p.m., no measured spot on Kauaçi “I was very surprised that I received fewer than 4 inches of rain would have an impact for all and most got 6 or more inches, top- War with the U.S. Army and lost those other women,” Ruby Maile ping at 14 inches on Mount his hearing during the conflict. Sasaoka of Kula said yesterday. “I Waiçaleçale, one of the wettest spots After he died at age 76 in 2007, had no idea they were going REBECCA BREYER | The Honolulu Advertiser on Earth. Sasaoka used her husband’s fi- through the same thing.” Oçahu got rained on as well. City department officials David The National Weather Service’s nal benefit check of $2,669 to pay Her husband, Raymond Fusao Tanoue and Craig Nishimura checked out damage yesterday A GANNETT NEWSPAPER Sasaoka, fought in the Korean SEE VETERANS, A9 morning in Haleçiwa. More weather stories | A3, A31 SEE KAUAÇI, A2 A12 | Sunday, December 14, 2008 The Honolulu Advertiser •

CROSSING THE LINE • ABUSE IN HAWAI‘I HOMES Police data don’t tell full story

doned the two girls for three Gaps in the domestic weeks last year to make an un- Broken planned trip to Iowa, described violence system her actions as self-centered and have received CONTINUED FROM A1 vindictive and said the husband produced credible evidence that heightened attention ered outrageous quickly spreads she physically and psychologi- in the domestic violence com- cally abused the children. in recent months as munity. In one recent case, a The order, however, did not Hawaiçi struggles to Honolulu judge gave sole cus- address the three main issues, tody of a divorcing couple’s two including sexual molestation, deal with a problem teen daughters to the husband raised by CPS about the husband. that has grabbed even though Child Protective Even if the court deemed the Services recommended against mother unfit to have the girls, headlines because of it, partly because the husband how could a judge justify leaving had sexually molested a teen them with a man with such a a slew of high-profile stepdaughter, court documents checkered past, Carlin and others murders. Statewide, show. asked. • Some criminal prosecutions Additionally, the husband’s nine deaths this year languish because the alleged abuse allegations against the wife have been linked to abusers dodge police or simply never have been confirmed by a can’t be located, and authorities third party, McGivern said in the intimate-partner have an inefficient “penal sum- September court filing. mons” system for finding them. “Sometimes, I just break down violence, including at • In many misdemeanor cases, crying because the system is so least three murder- Honolulu police do not take pho- broken,” said the wife, who asked tos of a victim’s injuries, which not to be named. “If I had known suicides. Police can be key pieces of evidence. then what I know now, maybe I suspect a fourth Without photos, prosecutors say should’ve just put up with the their job of getting convictions is abuse.” murder-suicide tougher. (See sidebar) Hawaiçi’s domestic-violence • So many women have opted problem sometimes is referred occurred last month not to report their beatings that to as a hidden one because so at Ko Olina but are abuse calls to police statewide many cases go unreported, and have plunged 64 percent over the victims, mostly women, suf- awaiting autopsy the past decade — even though fer in silence. They don’t con- results to confirm virtually everyone in the domes- tact authorities for many reasons, tic violence community says including cultural, religious and that. Even though Hawaiçi’s problem is not getting financial ones. any better and some believe it’s But the negative perception of Honolulu is one of getting worse, particularly with Hawaiçi’s criminal and civil jus- the safest major U.S. the economy sputtering and illicit tice system is commonly cited. drugs rampant. And that perception continues cities in terms of But even as the calls to police to spread. violent crimes have plummeted, the number of When a University of Hawaiçi protective orders issued by Fam- assistant professor who is re- overall, the state ily Court in domestic-abuse cas- searching gaps in the domestic- es has surged 80 percent over violence safety net recently asked almost every year the past decade. Some believe service providers about barriers, since 1997 has that trend is a more accurate re- their responses frequently men- flection of Hawaiçi’s domestic vi- tioned the criminal justice sys- topped the national olence problem. tem. average in domestic- Police and prosecutors are un- “You see the frustration build- sure why the abuse calls are ing with women who are trying violence homicides down so dramatically. But dozens to be safe and trying to trust the of victims, their relatives and ad- system,” said Charlene Baker, the per capita, according vocates have told The Advertis- faculty member doing the re- to an Advertiser er that the system is widely per- search. ceived as broken and that many No one knows for sure how analysis of state and battered women whose cases many victims don’t report their federal data. have been pursued criminally or abuse because of distrust of the civilly found the experience de- system — or for any other rea- meaning, abusive and frustrat- son. Such data would be virtual- ing, discouraging reporting of fu- ly impossible to track. But Malia Pierce, violence pre- ture abuse. JEFF WIDENER | The Honolulu Advertiser The huge drop in calls to po- vention program director for the lice in turn has led to a dramatic Cindy Stokes, 56, of Käneçohe, is among those taking a stand against domestic violence. Here, she takes Mediation Center of Molokaçi, decline in arrests and prosecu- part in a domestic violence rally at Circuit Court during the sentencing of murderer Roy Hartsock. estimated that less than 50 per- tions under Hawaiçi’s main do- cent of abuse incidents are re- mestic violence law, which cov- advocates say. Advertiser analysis of state and scaring her, the documents say. ported to police because battered ers physical abuse to family or Gaps in the domestic violence federal data. “It defies reason and common women believe the system won’t household members. From the system have received heightened Victims and advocates say a sense for the court to complete- protect them and because they mid-1990s through the mid- attention in recent months as dysfunctional system of ac- ly disregard this history,” Mc- would face so many hurdles try- 2000s, the number of arrests un- Hawaiçi struggles to deal with a countability is a key reason Givern, former head of the pros- ing to leave their abusers. der the abuse statute fell 31 per- problem that has grabbed head- Hawaiçi has made little progress ecutors’ domestic-violence unit, “There’s no faith in the legal cent and misdemeanor cases re- lines because of a slew of high- in stemming the domestic vio- wrote in the July court filing. system,” Pierce said. “It’s a lot ferred to prosecutors dropped profile murders. Statewide, nine lence problem. In another document filed in easier for women to just go home 34 percent, according to the most deaths this year have been linked Carlin and others cite cases September, McGivern said the — and they do.” recent data from the attorney to intimate-partner violence, in- like the one in which CPS rec- husband had not complied with The danger of not reporting, general’s office. With fewer con- cluding at least three murder- ommended that the abusive hus- any court orders in the case, the though, is that the violence rarely victions, fewer offenders are or- suicides. Police suspect a fourth band not get sole custody of his court had done “absolutely noth- is isolated and often tends to es- dered to attend intervention murder-suicide occurred last two daughters but was granted ing to exact compliance” and she calate in severity, increasing the classes. month at Ko Olina but are await- that anyway. described the case as “completely potential for even more serious The declining numbers have ing autopsy results to confirm In a confidential report to the out of control.” injury or death. Of 17 domestic- come even though legislators in that. Abuse cases usually increase court, CPS noted that the man Yet the court, following the violence murders from 2000 to the 1980s and ’90s strengthened at this time of year because of had been physically abusive to confidential recommendation of 2002 the state has analyzed as Hawaiçi’s abuse law to hold vio- the added stress linked to the his wife, had a serious alcohol a judiciary unit that investigates part of a fatality-review project, lators more accountable. Those holidays. problem and had sexually mo- such cases, this month awarded only five of the victims accessed revisions included lengthening Even though Honolulu is one lested his stepdaughter, accord- the husband sole legal and phys- domestic-abuse services before sentences for repeat offenders. of the safest major U.S. cities in ing to court documents filed by ical custody of the two daugh- the killings. But if fewer people are being terms of violent crimes overall, Lynne Jenkins McGivern, the ters, making permanent a tem- The level of distrust in the sys- prosecuted under that law, the the state almost every year since wife’s attorney. One of his teen- porary arrangement that was ap- tem is partly pegged to the re- tougher provisions aren’t being 1997 has topped the national av- age daughters even told a teacher proved in June. In his Dec. 1 cus- peated times victims usually have applied as often, potentially put- erage in domestic-violence homi- that her father laid down naked tody order, Judge William Nagle ting more women in harm’s way, cides per capita, according to an in her room while he was drunk, III noted that the mother aban- SEE BROKEN, A13

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE DATA SHOW MIXED PICTURE

FALLING The number of domestic abuse calls to police statewide, arrests under the RISING While domestic abuse calls, arrests and misdemeanor criminal prosecu- abuse statute and misdemeanor cases referred to prosecutors have tions have dropped substantially since the mid-’90s, the issuing of civil NUMBERS dropped dramatically since the mid-’90s. Police and prosecutors aren’t NUMBERS protective orders has skyrocketed, as have other key domestic-abuse sure why, but many victims and advocates say the trend reflects a lack of indicators. faith in the criminal justice system

Reports of abuse of Arrests for abuse of Domestic violence Family Court Protective- Hot line, Shelter family/household family/household misdemeanor cases protective orders order arrests information bed days members to police members referred to prosecutors calls to shelters 10,347 20,845 10,000 20,000 40,000 10-year 10-year 10-year 10-year 10-year declinee decline 10-year inincrease increase increasee 8,000 declinedeclinnee 16,000 36,000 -64% -31% 158% 37,973 -34% 81% 79% 12,000 32,000 6,000 10-year 4,014 increaseincreasee 4,000 5,030 8,000 28,000 8,072 28,445 3,674 2,645 33% 3,481 2,553 2,000 4,000 24,000 4,618 1,205 2,161 0 0 0 ’96 ’97 ’98 ’99’00 ’01’02 ’03 ’04 ’05 ’96 ’97 ’98 ’99 ’00 ’01’02 ’03 ’04 ’05 ’97 ’98 ’99 ’00 ’01 ’02 ’03 ’04 ’05 ’06 ’97 ’99 ’01 ’03 ’05 ’97 ’99 ’01 ’03 ’05 ’96 ’98 ’00 ’02 ’04 ’06 ’96 ’98 ’00 ’02 ’04 ’06 10-YEAR TREND BY COUNTY 10-YEAR TREND BY COUNTY Oçahu Maui Big Island Kauaçi Oçahu Maui Big Island Kauaçi Oçahu Maui Big Island Kauaçi Oçahu Maui Big Island Kauaçi Oçahu Maui Big Is. Kauaçi -61% -80% -17% 69% -53% -19% 48% 124% -23% -40% -54% 29% 95% 63% 56% 136% 84% 57% 41% 351%

Source: State Attorney General’s office The Honolulu Advertiser • The Honolulu Advertiser Sunday, December 14, 2008 | A13

CROSSING THE LINE • ABUSE IN HAWAI‘I HOMES Lost under system’s watch

Photos by JEFF WIDENER | The Honolulu Advertiser Deann Dano, 14, looks on in Circuit Court during the sentencing of Roy Hartsock. Hartsock was given life in prison for stabbing Dano’s mother, Jenny Hartsock, to death with a 14-inch knife.

moved five times since her di- olations of a protective order and The dissatisfaction checks, weekly drug testing, a the judicial system, the Judiciary vorce to try to keep her location domestic abuse. He was on in- weekly visit to his parole officer noted that judges’ decisions al- Broken secret from her ex-husband. tensive parole, the highest clas- with the criminal- and four visits, two unan- ways are subject to appeal. The She said her former husband sification of post-prison moni- justice system is nounced, by officers to his home agency also said judges are held CONTINUED FROM A12 has contacted her as recently as toring, for a burglary and assault and workplace, Otani said. accountable in more ways than May, violating the protective or- conviction and got married to partly linked to the During those six months, Hart- any other public officer. to tell their stories, often to un- der. In another previous instance, Jenny when he was released from sock committed two technical The dissatisfaction with the sympathetic or skeptical ears. he mailed her a steakhouse gift prison in July 2007. inherent tension that parole violations for not imme- criminal-justice system is partly And after all is said and done, card when she remarried, and it If the Hawaiçi Paroling Au- exists between the diately answering a spot-check linked to the inherent tension perpetrators frequently are not had bulls-eye targets drawn over thority had done its job, it would phone call at night and for not that exists between the accused held sufficiently accountable — if the heads of two bulls on the have discovered that Hartsock accused and the telling the authority that his full- and the accuser in an adversari- they’re held accountable at all, card, according to Lacanienta. was frequently violating terms time job, a requirement, had been al court setting. In that setting, victims say. He also has left letters for her at of his parole during their trou- accuser in an cut to part-time hours, Otani said. the defendant has a fundamental “The physical abuse can some- their child’s babysitter and bled, six-month marriage, and he adversarial court Neither violation warranted a right to due process and to con- times be more tolerable than the school, all in violation of the pro- should have been sent back to trip back to prison, he said. front his accuser. actual process of trying to get tective order, she said. prison well before the killing, setting. In that “I think we provided the su- “Part of the process can be justice for it,” said domestic- “If an abuser is well informed sparing Jenny her life, according setting, the pervision that was required for painful and re-traumatizing, but abuse survivor Joy Lacanienta, about the gaps in the system, (he) to Tracey Uejo, her sister. this case,” Otani said. it has to happen because the re- who was beaten by her ex-hus- can get away with murder,” La- Several months before Jenny’s defendant has a Although the criminal justice spondent is entitled to a fair hear- band, got a 35-year protection or- canienta said. death, she was seriously injured in system has many shortcomings, ing and due process,” said Fam- der against him but has seen Her ex-husband could not be what her husband told police was fundamental right to people who work in it generally ily Court Judge Michael Broder- nothing come of the many al- reached for comment. an accident. He said he was clean- due process and to are well intentioned but must ick, who heads a special division leged violations she has reported The family of murder victim ing a knife when he tripped and deal with limited budgets, large that handles domestic-abuse and to police since 2002. Jenny Hartsock also found the fell on her as she slept in a bed- confront his accuser. caseloads and little or no training other types of cases. “There’s a A 2005 criminal case charging system dysfunctional. Her killer, room. The knife landed with such in domestic violence, attorneys fundamental tension there.” Lacanienta’s ex-husband with vi- parolee Roy Hartsock, was sen- force that it went completely and others say. What’s more, Because of that tension, the olating the protective order has tenced in September to life in through one of Jenny’s legs and some believe people with do- judge’s responsibility is to cre- languished because authorities prison with the possibility of pa- into the other. Uejo said Hartsock mestic problems are overly re- ate an environment that mini- were unable to find him to serve role. fooled authorities into classifying liant on the legal system to solve mizes the trauma as much as pos- a penal summons. He is believed Hartsock’s family believes the stabbing as an accident. their problems. sible, Broderick said. to be on the Mainland. Because of paroling authorities failed to suf- “The system completely failed BELOW: Roy Hartsock, On Oçahu, three courtrooms Rom Trader, the deputy pros- the time lapse, the case proba- ficiently monitor the convicted her,” Uejo said. left, apologizes for killing are dedicated to domestic-abuse ecutor who oversees the division bly never will be prosecuted. felon in the months before he But Max Otani, the paroling his wife, Jenny Hartsock. cases, most of which are charged that handles domestic-violence “All the abuser has to do is vi- stabbed Jenny in January. authority’s administrator, said He was sentenced in as misdemeanors. No other crime cases, believes the system tends olate the protective order and go At the time of the stabbing, Hartsock was properly moni- September to a life term, has its own set of dedicated to favor the defendant’s rights to another state, and he’s scot- Roy Hartsock had nearly 30 con- tored while on parole. The mon- with the possibility of courtrooms. free,” said Lacanienta, who has victions, including several for vi- itoring included regular phone parole. In responding to criticism of SEE BROKEN, A15 A14 | Sunday, December 14, 2008 The Honolulu Advertiser •

CROSSING THE LINE • ABUSE IN HAWAI‘I HOMES Going to trial is risky business

tial call, Terrance Hibbert, said a Prosecutors say taking crying, frightened Olsen told him Legal that Kealoha caused her injuries domestic-abuse cases during an argument. The officer to a jury is risky, CONTINUED FROM A1 said he could see that Olsen’s mouth was bleeding, she had a especially Kealoha’s attorney to challenge swollen lip and cuts on her neck. the charges. The defense claimed Olsen was misdemeanor ones. Olsen didn’t just change her emotionally distraught because Victims often recant, story. She was arrested for her Kealoha was cheating on her and courtroom behavior during a because she had recently learned minimize the violence break in the trial, though the dra- that her unborn child — she was or are uncooperative. ma unfolded outside the presence seven months pregnant with their of the jury. baby — had significant health is- Injuries often aren’t After the proceedings had fin- sues and probably wasn’t going ished for the day, Olsen began be- to survive. Olsen’s injuries, the evident or are rating a prosecution witness (her defense argued, happened during relatively minor. The mother), the prosecutor and a a struggle as she tried to block bailiff. Olsen was held in con- Kealoha from leaving her apart- crime often involves tempt by Judge Michael Town, ment or were from other sources. the complicated and while several sheriff deputies Although injury photos are con- tried to take her into custody, she sidered important in domestic vi- dynamics of an resisted and allegedly struck and olence prosecutions, Hibbert told bloodied a deputy’s nose during Kealoha’s attorney that he was intimate relationship the courtroom scuffle. Olsen spent unable to take photos because the gone awry, something the rest of the five-day trial in jail. Honolulu Police Department The jury, after two days of de- doesn’t issue beat officers cam- that can confound liberations, acquitted Kealoha of eras. The other officers who re- those not familiar with four of the six charges he faced, Photos by JEFF WIDENER | The Honolulu Advertiser sponded also didn’t have cameras. couldn’t reach a decision on a fifth In October, Jerome Kealoha Jr. escaped five of six charges related to domestic abuse involving his then- “What’s the one thing you do to the power and control and convicted him of a sixth, mis- girlfriend. The alleged victim says she lied when she told police Kealoha beat her in 2007. investigate allegations of domes- demeanor abuse of a household tic violence?” asked defense at- issues of domestic member. He was sentenced to once it determines sufficient evi- dent stemming from a domestic couple sat together on a bench torney Richard Gronna in his clos- abuse. time served — more than a year in dence exists to prove the charges. dispute testified that she was to outside the courtroom, consoling ing argument. “You take a pic- jail. The no-drop policy is intended blame for the 2007 crash, contra- each other. ture. This is standard procedure in Prosecutors say taking domes- to remove any incentive for a sus- dicting what she had told a para- The judge eventually declared an investigation.” tic-abuse cases to a jury is risky, pect to try to pressure the victim medic and doctor immediately af- a mistrial after the jury was unable Photos of bruises on Olsen’s especially misdemeanor ones. to change her story. ter the incident. Lise Solomua Ala- to reach a verdict. body were taken several days af- Victims often recant, minimize “We have victims who are tini had said then that her male In the Kealoha case, Olsen tes- ter the beating, following com- the violence or are uncoopera- scared to death of these people,” passenger had kicked the steer- tified that she lied to police to get plaints to police of two other al- tive. Injuries often aren’t evident Trader said. ing wheel while she was driving, Kealoha in trouble because he was leged incidents involving Kealoha. or are relatively minor. The crime He said it’s not uncommon for prompting her to lose control on seeing another woman. By then, the case had become a often involves the complicated victims to tell the truth when po- H-1 Freeway near the airport. Yet what she initially told police felony investigation assigned to dynamics of an intimate relation- lice arrive, then change their sto- Iovani Alatini, her husband, was — that Kealoha beat her — was a detective. ship gone awry, something that ries after time passes and the cas- charged with second-degree as- corroborated by her mother, who Prosecutors say it is not un- can confound those not familiar es are ready to go to court. “We sault in the case. At his trial in gave investigators a statement at common in misdemeanor cases with the power and control is- don’t blame them for that. It’s just September, Lise Alatini said she the crime scene about witnessing to get no injury photos from po- sues of domestic abuse. a reality.” was driving drunk, speeding and the beating and whose trial testi- lice, even though they have told “The jurors are thinking, ‘If it’s In one noteworthy court case punching her husband just before mony was consistent with her HPD about the importance of hav- so bad, why doesn’t she leave?’ ” this year, a woman who lost most the crash. original statement. Also, the police ing such evidence. said Rom Trader, the deputy pros- of her left arm in a traffic acci- During breaks in the trial, the officer who responded to the ini- Without photos, “it’s like going ecutor who heads the domestic into battle with one hand behind violence and juvenile offender di- your back,” said Arrisgado, the vision. “Or, ‘If the victim put up A SNAPSHOT OF INTIMATE-PARTNER MURDERS senior deputy prosecutor. with the abuse, who are we to say With the help of the Hawaiçi State Coalition Against Domestic Violence, The Advertiser compiled a The issue was important it’s a crime?’ ” database of 74 murders linked to intimate-partner violence since the mid-’90s. The database can be enough that in late 2004 the pros- Even cases considered solid by found at www.honoluluadvertiser.com/domesticdatabase ecutor’s office used a federal grant prosecutors can fall flat in the to purchase 20 digital cameras to eyes of jurors. Some findings: give to police for domestic abuse “No matter how strong the case 15% 7% 90% 60% 29% investigations. appears, when you get into court “In a perfect world, you would with 12 jurors, it’s a complete crap- of the vic- of the perpetra- of defendants who were of the killers who of the perpetra- have all the means to do your job,” shoot,” said Maurice Arrisgado, tims were tors or suspects prosecuted were convicted; were convicted re- tors/suspects Trader said. “But (police) are af- a senior deputy prosecutor. male were female 6 percent were acquitted* ceived life sentences committed suicide fected by budget constraints like The recanting of a chief wit- everyone else.” ness is a common hurdle. Maj. Carlton Nishimura, who At least a majority of the cases involved a victim leaving, talking about or planning to leave the victim For a variety of reasons, vic- heads HPD’s criminal investiga- tims will change their story even *Including one case of not guilty by reason of insanity tion division, said the depart- though the prosecutor’s office has Source: Hawaiçi State Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Advertiser research a policy of not dropping cases SEE LEGAL, A15

Angela Olsen and Jerome Kealoha Jr. visit the grave of their baby, Janae Olsen-Kealoha. Janae was born and died of natural causes, all while Kealoha was in jail, unable to post bail while his domestic-abuse case involving Olsen proceeded. By the time he was sentenced in October, he had already served more time than the maximum one year, so the court released him that day. The couple recently got married. • The Honolulu Advertiser Sunday, December 14, 2008 | A15

CROSSING THE LINE • ABUSE IN HAWAI‘I HOMES The issue? ‘It doesn’t work’

speak to why patrol division offi- They judge success, they say, cases surfaced when Kealoha’s remained in jail for more than a cers, who he doesn’t oversee, not by a conviction as charged girlfriend was involved in the year while his court case pro- Legal sometimes fail to take injury pho- and a jail term but on whether courtroom scuffle. Olsen recent- ceeded. By the time he was sen- tos. the offender’s behavior is ly pleaded guilty to second-de- tenced for the abuse charge in CONTINUED FROM A14 Of the 1,000-plus misdemeanor changed. gree assault of a law enforcement October, he had already served domestic abuse cases Oçahu pros- But critics say prosecutors are officer, a misdemeanor, and is more time than the maximum ment recently obtained a $60,000 ecutors get each year, less than too quick to reach plea agree- scheduled to be sentenced in one year set for that charge, so grant to purchase equipment, in- 10 percent typically go to trial, ments, resulting in some perpe- February. the court released him that day. cluding cameras, to combat vio- and the majority of those usually trators getting but a slap on the Another indication of the po- Before his release, a beaming lence against women. CID in- result in acquittals. wrist. tential volatility: When police at- Olsen anxiously waited in a vestigates all felony abuse cases Most of the nontrial cases are To get a sense of the chal- tempted to arrest Kealoha in courtroom hallway contemplat- lenges prosecutors face in do- 2007, he barricaded himself in and misdemeanor ones in which resolved with plea agreements, ing their future. arrests weren’t made at the crime mestic-abuse trials, The Adver- his Oçahu home, told officers he with the defendant pleading guilty “We’re just going to take it day scene. tiser picked the Kealoha case to had a gun and threatened to set as charged, guilty to a lesser of- by day,” she said. “It’s been a Investigators in his division re- sit through from among several the gasoline-doused house on fense or no contest. alize the importance of injury pho- trials that were being conducted fire, according to court testimo- long road. We made it. We’re go- When weighing the risks and tos, Nishimura said. If CID gets a in late August. The newspaper ny. That prompted police to shut ing to change things.” domestic abuse case in which the strengths of a case, prosecutors observed the entire trial, from down the neighborhood and Asked what they intended to investigating patrol officer didn’t say they may try to get the de- jury selection to verdict. bring in the SWAT team. do first once they reunited, Olsen take photos, CID will return to fendant to plead to a lesser of- Jurors acquitted Kealoha of Lise Solomua Alatini wept after After about two hours, Kealo- said they would visit the grave the scene to get them, he said. fense or one with lesser penal- burglary, robbery, criminal prop- recanting her story against ha emerged from the home, site of their daughter, Janae, who “We feel it’s necessary,” ties, so they can be sure the of- erty damage and terroristic husband Iovani Alatini, who was drinking a can of beer, according was born and died from natural Nishimura said. “It’s not a crime fender suffers some consequences threatening charges, largely be- charged with assault. Lise lost to court testimony. He didn’t causes while Kealoha was incar- we can let go and do a poor in- and is held accountable, including cause the evidence was weak, ac- her arm after the truck the couple have a gun, nor was the house cerated. vestigation on.” having to attend a domestic-vio- cording to one juror. was riding in flipped during an doused with gasoline. Shortly after that cemetery vis- Nishimura said he couldn’t lence intervention program. The potential volatility of such argument. Kealoha, unable to post bail, it, the couple got married.

Photos by JEFF WIDENER | The Honolulu Advertiser Iovani Alatini consoles his wife, Lise Solomua Alatini, during a break in his second-degree assault trial. Lise lost her left arm in a traffic accident stemming from the alleged assault.

White, her former boyfriend, is Asked how the legal battle has The police do the best they can the father. A SNAPSHOT OF THE LAW affected her family, LaDuke with their limited resources, but Broken Elijah, 4, currently lives with replied: ‘’The court system has the summons system “definitely the LaDukes, but they only have Hawaiçi’s main domestic violence law, Chapter 709-906 in re-victimized the whole family. leaves a lot to be desired in terms CONTINUED FROM A13 “foster custody” of the child. Hawaii Revised Statutes, deals with physical abuse of a house- And it just seems to continue, con- of effective service of these The couple’s efforts have been hold or family member. tinue, continue, continue. … Com- things,” said Trader, the deputy when weighed against those of stymied because White, who is mon sense in this case disap- prosecutor. ENHANCED OFFENSE the victim. “The reality is, in the serving a life prison term with PENALTY peared long ago.” Concerns about the fairness shake, the victims are going to no possibility of parole, has ob- Choking considered a Class C felony Repeated continuances in abuse and adequacy of the system have Minimum of 2 days get shortchanged,” he said. jected. Although the convicted cases also generate widespread become strong enough that the jail for first offense, While many victim advocates murderer’s parental rights were criticism about the system. It is League of Women Voters re- 30 days for sec- agree that the process tilts too terminated by a lower court in PROTECTION not uncommon for a case to be de- cently decided to revive a court- August 2007, he filed an appeal ond offense (if it layed multiple times because of monitoring project to more close- much in favor of male defen- Police may issue a 24-hour stay-away with the Hawaiçi Supreme Court. occurs within one the unavailability of police offi- ly see what’s happening with do- dants, some attorneys and others order (longer if on the weekend) to the The appeal has not been decided, year of first convic- cers or other witnesses to testify mestic-violence cases. believe women in such cases get alleged abuser if the officer believes and until it is, the custody issue tion), for third of- or for other reasons, usually linked all the breaks. more abuse may occur otherwise. It last did that in the mid-1990s is on hold. fense, maximum of to the defendant’s right to due and found that convicted batter- “It seems like all you have to five years impris- The Department of Human process. ers generally served little jail time, do is cry wolf, and there’s a onment. Offenders Services, which is handling Eli- Forcing an abused woman to regardless of the seriousness of whole support system for you,” also must com- FIREARMS jah’s case, supports the LaDukes’ return to court repeatedly adds to their offenses. said Scott Strack, a family law plete a domestic- Under federal law, offender cannot attorney who has represented efforts to get custody of the boy the trauma inflicted by the process, Many say the key to improving and to adopt him but must wait violence interven- own a gun or carry a permit or license men and women in abuse cases. especially if the woman recently the system is, like with other so- for the appeal to be resolved, ac- tion program. for one. The legal system, he said, needs has left the relationship or is the cial problems, money. Better cording to Toni Schwartz, a DHS more balance. main income earner for her fami- trained personnel, more police spokeswoman. Broderick, who has handled ly and has to take off work to get officers, more judges, more court Donna LaDuke said the lower more than 2,000 temporary- to court, advocates say. space — all would contribute to court already has granted sever- phenated one that included White “This person has done every- restraining order cases, said he Cynthia Iannce Spencer, a Do- making the criminal-justice al of White’s requests, even and that the LaDukes arrange thing to manipulate the system has seen some in which the mestic Violence Action Center process more efficient and fair, though he didn’t want anything to weekly phone visits between Eli- for his own personal entertain- woman was unfairly trying to get vice president, said she recently victim advocates and others say. do with Elijah until the murder. jah and his imprisoned father, ment,” she said. “We’ve been back at the man. One time, a observed 10 criminal domestic- They also say the community The court ordered that Elijah’s something she and her husband standing on our heads to humor woman admitted she had exag- violence cases in court and all must place a greater priority on last name be changed to a hy- are resisting, LaDuke said. a convicted murderer.” gerated allegations because the but one were continued. reducing domestic violence, in- man had left her for another “What does that say about the cluding changing attitudes about woman. Broderick denied her re- DOMESTIC ABUSE MURDERS INCREASING system? It’s broken, it doesn’t relationships between men and straining-order request. work, it’s ineffective,” Spencer women and power and control. The number of homicides linked to domestic violence has increased since 2004. But the total has The judge said he does not see said. Maj. Carlton Nishimura, head not reached the recent peak of 15 from 2000. Still, Hawaiçi has regularly topped the U.S. in domestic- many of those types of cases, and Another area of concern in- of the Honolulu Police Depart- violence murders on a per-capita basis. when he does, he dissolves the volves penal summons. Many ment’s criminal investigation di- TROs. YEAR ’96 ’97 ’98 ’99 ’00 ’01 ’02 ’03 ’04 ’05 ’06 summons, like in the Lacanienta vision, said he understands why The parents of murder victim case, go unserved because police domestic-abuse victims are frus- Intimate partner 65 63101142238 Felicia LaDuke believe the sys- can’t locate the suspects. trated by the process. tem needs much more than just Non-intimate family 12355114514 Some suspects simply dodge “The majority of people don’t balance. Non-intimate non-family 02 000011050 police to avoid being served, al- like the system,” he said. “Is it a Roughly three years after their lowing them to stave off a poten- really good system? No, it’s not. … daughter was killed by Army sol- TOTAL 79981512677912 tial prosecution. Adding to the But it’s probably about the best it dier Jeffery White near Kaçena Per 100,000 population 0.6 0.8 0.8 0.7 1.2 1.0 0.5 0.6 0.6 0.7 0.9 challenges, authorities have no can be.” Point, Steve and Donna LaDuke U.S. per 100,000 0.7 0.6 0.7 0.6 0.6 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 NA central database that allows for an of Minnesota still are battling in immediate check of whether Reach Rob Perez at rperez Hawaiçi courts to get legal cus- Source: Attorney General’s office, Advertiser research someone has an outstanding sum- @honoluluadvertiser.com or tody of Elijah, Felicia’s only child. mons. 525-8054. • Runners break records, overcome challenges. B1 • Complete results are inside SPORTS ON THE WEB: See more photos and watch video from the rainy race at HONOLULUADVERTISER.COM

MONDAY DECEMBER 15, 2008 HAWAI‘I’S NEWSPAPER HOME FINAL 75 cents on O‘ahu | $1.00 on Neighbor Islands []BREAKING NEWS 24/7 AT HONOLULUADVERTISER.COM INSIDE TODAY Hotel Read the sad story of Daysha Aiona-Aka, as told through her journals, her occupant The Life and Death of Daysha family and her friends. rate falls CROSSING THE LINE • ABUSE IN HAWAI‘I HOMES PART TWO INSIDE to 67.1% October level at lowest Lost in transition point since the month after Sept. 11 attacks FOR MANY VICTIMS, THE BEACH IS THEIR REFUGE

BY ROBBIE DINGEMAN Go green on Advertiser Staff Writer The global economic slow- down helped push Hawai‘i hotel gift-wrapping occupancy in October to its low- est level since the month after Save money by the Sept. 11 terror attacks. using recycled items Hotel guests filled only for some pretty 67.1 percent of rooms statewide, down 6.5 percentage points from packaging a year earlier, according to a re- port by Hospitality Advisors ISLAND LIFE | E1 LLC. The softer hotel performance reflects the 13.5 percent drop in visitor arrivals reported in Oc- tober by the state Department of Business, Economic Develop- ment and Tourism. Hospitality Advisors President Joseph Toy said Hawai‘i hotels showed declines in occupancy on all islands and in hotels rang- Cleanup on ing from economy to luxury class. Gulick ‘slow’ The last October that showed lower occupancy was the month Contractor hired to after Sept. 11, 2001, when occu- pancy fell to 57.3 percent. By the haul illegal structures following year, it had rebounded from Kalihi property to 68 percent and had been on the increase since then, he said. HAWAI‘I | B1 Toy said the average daily rate JEFF WIDENER | The Honolulu Advertiser charged by hotels fell by 3.4 per- This child was living with his mother at a shelter; other domestic-abuse victims make do where they can, sometimes on the beach. cent to $177.41, which was the largest monthly decline in that THE ADVERTISER’S key rate so far this year. COURT AWASH IN ANGER, INSIDE Isles’ battered women Franz S. Hanning, CEO and have few options when BLOGS president of Wyndham Vacation • Gaps in the sys- Management, commented on the FEAR, SADNESS AND TEARS tem | A6 it comes to housing weak situation in Hawai‘i in a • Temporary re- BY ROB PEREZ BY ROB PEREZ conference call on Tuesday with come levels in Hawaiçi. straining orders | Advertiser Staff Writer investors. Advertiser Staff Writer It is a glimpse that hammers A7 On some days, the domestic- “Just to talk a little bit about The judge’s warning was home how destructive the abuse caseload on Oçahu can be so Hawai‘i, which (for) a couple of short and to the point. problem can be, shattering ONLINE heavy that a judge has as little as Akamai our major competitors that is a “It’s toxic in there.” lives, breaking up families and 20 minutes to conduct a restrain- real weakness … and certainly Family Court Judge Michael contributing to the burden of a Politics • Advertiser ing-order trial and make poten- we are seeing some effect,” he Broderick was talking about society struggling to curtail the video: Family tially life-and-death decisions said. “Our tour flow is down the small, narrow, windowless violence. Court Judge about two people whose rela- about 14 percent in Hawai‘i.” Oçahu courtroom where sev- Three mornings a week at Michael Broderick tionship has soured, often to the Jerry Burris has the Wyndham operates about a eral mornings a week he pre- the state courthouse on Punch- discusses protec- point of violent outbursts. The latest on politics and dozen time-share properties in sides over requests for protec- bowl Street, Broderick and tion of victims judge regularly apologizes to the events of the day. Hawai‘i, including Wyndham tive orders. Judge Paul Murakami each hear parties for not being able to de- Waikiki Beach Walk on O‘ahu. It is a court of high anxiety. about a dozen to 15 requests for BROADCAST Read his comments and vote the time their cases deserve. Different businesses are af- Two people struggling protective orders. On a fourth post your own at In some communities around fected in different ways. So far, through a strained or ruined morning, another judge han- the state, so few transitional homes HONOLULUADVERTISER.COM business at Lulu’s Waikïkï is relationship sit before Broder- dles the requests. Cases also are available that some battered /BLOGS brisk. It’s down a tick compared ick as he weighs whether to are heard at other courthouses • KGMB9 News women, trying to escape violence with last December, but nothing grant a request to bar any con- on the Neighbor Islands. video: Talking and check out our other at their residences, end up living to write home about. tact between the pair for The domestic abuse calen- with an abuser bloggers. temporarily on the beach. Some- After the Honolulu Marathon months or even years, all in dar is not for the faint of heart. Go to HONOLULU times, children are fleeing with yesterday, about half the ocean- the interest of safety. The tension in the tiny Punch- ADVERTISER.COM/ them. view second-floor restaurant was This is where Broderick gets bowl courtrooms can be almost DOMESTICVIOLENCE Several times a year, so many TO SUBSCRIBE, CALL 538-NEWS filled with runners and their fam- a regular glimpse of the ugly, overwhelming. Every now and for more on this abused women seek legal help ilies. It’s been like this pretty con- vicious, complex nature of do- then, sheriff deputies are sum- series 6 sections, 54 pages ★ from the Domestic Violence Ac- sistently, said Matt Castiglione, mestic abuse, a pervasive prob- moned — just in case. Classifieds | F1-6 restaurant manager. lem that cuts across all com- Comics | E6 “We seem to be recession- munities, ethnic groups and in- SEE COURT, A7 SEE VIOLENCE, A6 Crosswords | E2 Editorials | A10 SEE HOTELS, A2 Movie ads | E5 Nation and World | A3 Obituaries | B2 TV listings | E4 Teacher drug testing unresolved as talks near on new contract Weather | A4 Pay raises given while nearly six months ago, and still drug testing. Teachers have got- and seizures. solved before it expires in June. © COPYRIGHT, 2008 no teacher has been tested. ten most of the pay increases, Gov. Linda Lingle’s office filed Negotiators from both sides state still awaits ruling This week, the teachers union but the teachers union has balked a complaint with the state Labor met several weeks ago, but only on Lingle’s complaint and the state are expected to be- at the testing. Relations Board to get the teach- to set ground rules for the up- gin talks on a new contract. The state has accused the ers to abide by the contract, but coming talks. Nothing of sub- BY LOREN MORENO The current two-year contract, union of making a “mockery” of the board has not ruled on the is- stance, including the drug-testing Advertiser Education Writer which expires in June, included the collective bargaining process. sue. issue, was discussed. The contractual deadline for pay increases of up to 11 percent The union has said it has con- State officials say they are un- Neither Roger Takabayashi, random drug testing of Hawaiçi in exchange for a commitment cerns about privacy rights and sure whether the dispute over A GANNETT NEWSPAPER public school teachers passed from teachers to accept random the potential of illegal searches the current contract will be re- SEE DRUG TEST, A2

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CROSSING THE LINE • ABUSE IN HAWAI‘I HOMES Lack of resources taxing

JEFF WIDENER | The Honolulu Advertiser A survey by University of Hawaiçi assistant professor Charlene Baker cited staffing shortages, lack of housing and court issues as among the gaps in the safety net for domestic-abuse victims.

laws. “We have a responsibility to times end up on the beach or go he is unable to spend the time year. The Judiciary also received having a positive impact, includ- take care of one another.” back to their abuser, believing he believes their cases warrant. authorization last year for two ing reduction of child abuse and Violence Hawaiçi generally gets good they have no other option. Typically, neither side brings wit- judges and six staff positions for neglect and domestic violence,” marks for helping victims who The lack of transitional housing nesses to the trial, a saving grace Oçahu’s Family Court. Koller said. “But there is always CONTINUED FROM A1 need emergency shelter and per- reflects an underlying problem given the time pressure. “But if Recently retired Sgt. Ronald room for improvement.” haps a restraining order when that contributes to virtually all they do bring them, I’m in real Tamanaha of the Maui Police De- Koller launched an initiative tion Center on Oçahu that it has they are leaving an abusive rela- the gaps in the domestic-violence trouble,” Broderick said. partment’s domestic-violence last year that assists domestic- to stop taking new cases. It sim- tionship, according to advocates, safety net. Funding and staffing The heavy caseload also unit faced similar caseload pres- abuse victims on welfare so they ply doesn’t have the staff to han- attorneys and others familiar with are inadequate to handle the high strains Family Court facilities on sures. He was the only full-time can get jobs and achieve self-suf- Oçahu, where alleged abusers and dle all the requests. the safety net. volume of cases, putting a grow- officer assigned to the unit, which ficiency and safety for themselves Welcome to the overwhelmed, The gaps, however, become ing strain on the network of serv- the abused sit in cramped quar- oversees hundreds of investiga- and their children, according to underfunded, frayed safety net significantly more pronounced ices. ters, sometimes just a few feet tions for the entire county, in- from each other. Judiciary offi- her office. The initiative also re- for Hawaiçi’s domestic-abuse vic- after that. Programs funded by That is evident each time the cluding Molokaçi and Länaçi. cials repeatedly have told legis- sulted in improvements for track- tims. the government, nonprofit agen- action center stops taking new Tamanaha also conducted lators and others that the lack of ing the level of services received And with budgets expected to cies and others provide lots of cases and refers the women to training and gave community sufficient space is untenable, cre- by victims and barriers to those tighten in the months ahead, help, but not nearly enough to private lawyers. Those lawyers presentations about domestic vi- ating unnecessary tensions and services. some fear the situation will only match demand. also get overwhelmed by the de- olence. heightened security concerns. Staffing shortages, lack of hous- get worse, creating even more “We’re asking a woman to give mand. Until his retirement at the end Here’s what Chief Justice ing (especially for women with gaps at a time when demand for up her old life, and we do very lit- Attorney Lynne Jenkins Mc- of November, he said he operat- Ronald Moon said in his State of special needs, such as a drug ad- services likely will increase. tle to help her start the new life,” Givern, who is on the center’s re- ed solo for more than two years the Judiciary address to law- diction) and various court issues “It’s a tsunami waiting to hap- said Carol Lee, the coalition’s ex- ferral list, said her phone calls in- because budget constraints left makers in 2007: pen,” said Joe Bloom, program ecutive director. crease whenever the nonprofit two other positions vacant, al- were among the gaps mentioned “The waiting area for court director for Catholic Charities One of the biggest gaps is tran- stops taking new cases. As a result, though a detective occasionally in a recent survey done by Char- users on the second floor of the Hawaiçi’s therapeutic services. sitional housing, which survivors she usually has about half a dozen assisted him. lene Baker, a University of First Circuit court building — on As Hawaiçi muddles through need if they can’t find a perma- pro bono cases at any given time. “A lot of people can’t handle Hawaiçi-Mänoa assistant profes- any given day of the week — another bad year for domestic vi- nent home after they leave their “That’s just a drop in the buck- this,” Tamanaha said in an inter- sor in the psychology department. olence, some are questioning abuser. Stays at an emergency et,” McGivern said. “I feel bad makes the waiting area of a hos- Baker and her assistants inter- pital emergency room seem like view before his retirement. whether the safety net is ade- shelter usually are limited to 90 about not being able to return all viewed roughly 275 people who an oasis. People are packed to- Staffing shortages and turnover quate and the community is doing days. the phone calls.” provide services to intimate-part- gether. You can definitely feel also come into play at some non- enough to make a difference. “There are never, ever enough The heavy volume of cases profit agencies and government ner victims. Those are not academic ques- of these (transitional homes),” also puts a strain on Family Court the emotions and hostility in the agencies that deal with domestic Other gaps the respondents tions, given how widespread the said Helena Manzano, a Domes- on Oçahu, where Judge Michael room. And the noise level might violence. Because of relatively mentioned: problem is and how far-reaching tic Violence Action Center pro- Broderick says he can spend only lead you to think you’re in a train station rather than a courthouse. low pay and other issues, some • Transportation, complicated the consequences. gram manager. an average of 20 to 45 minutes on have trouble keeping experi- A 2006 report by the Hawaiçi On Oçahu, there are about half each trial for a protective-order “And once the parties enter by geographic isolation, especially the courtroom, things aren’t enced attorneys and other types on the Neighbor Islands. High State Coalition Against Domestic a dozen facilities, and each of the request. If he were presiding over of workers, creating continuity much better as parties are liter- gas prices have made this even Violence estimated that more Neighbor Islands has even fewer a money dispute in a civil lawsuit, problems. ally just a few feet away from more of a problem. than 22,000 adults are victims of options. the trial could last days. Joy Lacanienta, a domestic-vi- each other and no more than five • Limited services, including domestic abuse each year. Some “We have a wait list a mile At the restraining-order trial, olence survivor, discovered that to six feet from the judge.” availability of interpreters, for believe the estimate is low. long,” said Mary Scott-Lau, ex- Broderick has to decide whether firsthand. As her restraining order The state took a major step in non-English speakers. Another report by the Univer- ecutive director of Women in two people involved in a domes- and divorce case unfolded, she improving the situation when • Lack of long-term support sity of Hawaiçi and the attorney Need, a Waiçanae-based nonprofit tic dispute must sever all con- said she dealt with three social legislators approved $95 million general’s office said as many as that operates two transitional tact for months or even years. workers, three advocates and five services for men, women and in 2005 to build a new Kapolei 44,000 local children are exposed homes. Broderick doesn’t make those lawyers over several years. children. to family violence annually. If battered women can’t find decisions lightly, but he often court complex, which is sched- Minnesota resident Donna “This is what we heard again The costs from such abuse are affordable housing, they some- apologizes to both sides because uled to be completed late next LaDuke said she and her husband and again and again,” Baker said. substantial, and not just in the dealt with six different social To some degree, the safety-net medical arena. Lost work time workers over a 14-month period gaps illustrate the low priority and productivity, more crime and GAPS IN THE SYSTEM as the pair tried to get their grand- the community places on reduc- behavioral problems, lower qual- son, Elijah, out of a foster home in ing domestic violence, according ity of life and other consequences University of Hawaiçi assistant professor Charlene Baker is researching barriers to services for victims Hawaiçi so he could live with to some in the field. also come into play, adding to of intimate-partner violence. Some of her preliminary findings, based on interviews with nearly 275 them. The LaDukes’ daughter, Fe- Amaral, the former legislator, the burdens on the community. people in the industry: licia, was killed in 2005 by her isn’t optimistic the situation will While no figures are available ex-boyfriend, Jeffery White. Don- for Hawaiçi, various national stud- BARRIERS SOME SUCCESSFUL STRATEGIES improve soon. na LaDuke said the system seems “We all give lip service to help- ies have estimated the annual cost • Transportation/geographical isolation • Cultural-specific batterer intervention programs on to be underfunded and its em- ing domestic-violence victims and of intimate-partner violence at • Staff shortages the Big Island, Maui ployees overworked. roughly $5 billion to $8 billion. their families,” she said. “But so- • Language access • Cultural-specific women’s support groups on Oçahu “This little boy became a fold- ciety doesn’t support them real And if one in four women ex- er, and it was passed from desk to • Lack of transitional and permanent • Building service capacity in some immigrant com- well.” perience domestic violence in desk,” she said. The LaDukes housing munities McGivern, the attorney, was their lifetimes, as some studies eventually got “foster custody” asked whether Hawaiçi has made suggest, the problem touches a • Lack of support services • Re-establishing Family Violence Interagency of Elijah. Council on Big Island much progress in the nearly two huge chunk of the state’s popula- • Shame Gov. Linda Lingle did not re- • Coordination of services among agencies decades she’s been handling do- tion, either directly or indirectly. • Acceptance of intimate-partner violence spond to repeated requests for on Maui mestic-violence cases, first with The victims may be spouses, rel- as “part of life” comment for this series. atives, neighbors, friends or co- • Inclusion of intimate-partner violence in human But one of her Cabinet mem- the prosecutor’s office and now in • Small-community nature discourages workers. You may not even know services certificate curriculum at Maui Community bers, Lillian Koller, director of private practice. victims from seeking help they are victims, given the ten- College the Department of Human Ser- “I wish I could say after 18 • Court only once a month on Molokaçi, dency of many battered women • Almost all agencies do home visits on Molokaçi vices, which funds programs to years we’ve made huge strides,” to keep such abuse secret. Länaçi help domestic-violence victims, she replied. • Molokaçi, Länaçi and some remote areas on Maui “This is something we all • Economic survival, lack of job opportuni- noted the progress being made “But I can’t say that.” allow restraining-order requests to be faxed should care about,” said Annelle ties in improving services to victims. Amaral, a former police officer “Our expanded federal fund- Reach Rob Perez at and legislator who helped streng- Source: UH-Manoa assistant professor Charlene Baker ing of community-based pro- [email protected] then Hawaiçi’s domestic-violence grams to strengthen families is or 525-8054. • The Honolulu Advertiser Monday, December 15, 2008 | A7

CROSSING THE LINE • ABUSE IN HAWAI‘I HOMES Wait list for homes ‘a mile long’

One of the first cases of the On a Tuesday in late After hearing more than 1,400 morning involved a woman al- cases in a year, the judge said Court leging that her husband would July, Broderick, the common themes emerge. not allow her to eat for long lead judge for the Although many abusers are CONTINUED FROM A1 stretches, causing her severe from lower socioeconomic lev- medical problems. When she special division that els and many are struggling fi- One woman recently fainted tried to get food, he would strike handles domestic nancially, Broderick sees people simply at the sight of her alleged her, usually in the face, she wrote abuse cases, had 15 from all walks of life. Doctors, abuser entering the room. An am- in her petition. lawyers, corporate executives, bulance had to be called. Another woman said her hus- on his morning professors, high-ranking military Violence often is at the core of band repeatedly hit her in the calendar — a fairly officers and many other profes- each restraining-order case. And head, knowing such strategically typical workload. He sionals have faced abuse allega- if violence isn’t alleged, emotional placed blows likely would leave tions in his courtroom. or psychological abuse is. The no visible injuries. Police usual- has to get through all Broderick said many abusers picture, no matter the circum- ly are required to make arrests if the cases by around commonly use distorted thinking stances, is disturbing. there are visible injuries, but to justify their use of force. It’s You see anger. Fear. Frustra- some officers say abusers have noon, because his not unusual, for instance, for a tion. Terror. Sadness. Tears. JEFF WIDENER | The Honolulu Advertiser become smarter on how to avoid packed afternoons man to say he hit his partner be- Sometimes in just one case. Family Court Judge Michael Broderick lays out restraining-order getting arrested. The woman said are devoted to cause she was flirting, danced with Some parties speak in barely ground rules to a male abuser. her husband also would choke another man or didn’t do what he audible voices, their hands trem- her until she blacked out, some- guardianships, told her. Some say violent, con- bling as they recount horrific al- ties of the problem, sometimes cases involved mostly estranged times in front of their children. adoptions and other trolling behavior was the norm in legations of abuse. Some speak apologizes to the parties for not couples and feuding relatives. their homes as they grew up. Yet another woman said her ex- types of Family Court with a rage that pierces the quiet being able to devote the time their Several parties were from the boyfriend continued to stalk her “It’s very hard for me to con- of the courtroom, escalating the cases deserve. But then he quick- military. And in two cases, the after she ended their relationship. cases. The vince them this thinking is wrong,” Broderick said. already-high tension level. ly moves on, regularly checking men, not the women, were seek- He would come to her home dai- restraining-order The judge also sees drug and You often see people with his cell-phone clock in between ing protection. ly, looking in windows and trying alcohol abuse in many cases. “I criminal records — and not just hearings to determine whether About half the cases involved to open doors, the woman said. schedule can get so the alleged abusers. he needs to step up the pace. people with criminal convictions. continue to be concerned that ice He also would call her co-workers, tight that Broderick, And you hear all kinds of sto- On this particular morning, the One man had 46. remains one of the major prob- friends and family members to ask ries, excuses, justifications. widely praised in the lems in Hawaiçi,” he said. about her and repeatedly sent e- Each year, roughly 2,500 re- Avis Kalama, head of the Wind- mails to her and others. domestic violence quests for temporary restraining TEMPORARY RESTRAINING ORDERS ward Spouse Abuse Center, orders are processed on Oçahu. HOLDING STEADY At the only trial of the morn- community as a judge shares that concern. “Absolutely, Nine of every 10 typically are ing, a woman alleged that her who understands the the drugs are getting worse. That’s granted. Victims of domestic abuse often seek temporary restraining husband took her to an aban- complexities of the a big reason the domestic vio- Once an order is signed by a orders to try to keep safe. The orders prohibit any contact doned road near Kapolei and beat lence problem is getting worse.” judge, a hearing is held within 15 between named parties. Here are Oçahu numbers: her with a metal pipe. On anoth- problem, sometimes Some women who obtain pro- er occasion, she said, she refused tective orders will return to court days to determine whether the FISCAL TRO applications apologizes to the to go into a store with him, so weeks or months later to ask that TRO, good for up to 90 days, YEAR TROs granted parties for not being should be converted to a longer- he drove to a remote area and the orders be dissolved, even if lasting protective order. 2001-02 2,835 hit and choked her. able to devote the the abuse had been severe. The On a Tuesday in late July, 2,747 The husband denied some time their cases women may want to give their Broderick, the lead judge for the 2002-03 3,043 charges but admitted others, say- partners another chance, the judge special division that handles do- 2,934 ing he had anger problems. He deserve. But then he said. Or they may want their hus- mestic abuse cases, had 15 on his 2003-04 2,690 also said he got hooked on a quickly moves on, bands back so the children can morning calendar — a fairly typ- 2,460 video game that he played so regularly checking his have their fathers around. ical workload. He has to get 2004-05 2,596 much he neglected his marriage. Broderick said he will keep the through all the cases by around 2,360 “I’m sorry for the things I’ve cell-phone clock in orders in effect despite the noon, because his packed after- 2005-06 2,631 done,” the husband told his wife between hearings to women’s objections if their safe- noons are devoted to guardian- 2,249 as he struggled to keep his com- ty still seems in jeopardy. 2006-07 determine whether he ships, adoptions and other types 2,483 posure. “If God can forgive me, Safety concerns, in fact, are of Family Court cases. 2,165 you should be able to, too.” needs to step up the the driving force behind all his 2007-08 restraining-order decisions. The restraining-order sched- 2,581 Even as he pleaded for for- pace. ule can get so tight that Broderick, 2,283 giveness, his wife, just a few feet “There’s a balance here,” Brod- widely praised in the domestic away, refused to look his way. erick said. “If you’re going to violence community as a judge Source: State Judiciary The Honolulu Advertiser Broderick granted her request make a mistake, you want to err who understands the complexi- for a five-year protective order. on the side of safety.”

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This Christmas, Read the sad story of Property teach your kids Daysha Aiona-Aka, as told through her journals, her about what’s The Life and Death of Daysha family and her friends. really important values CROSSING THE LINE • ABUSE IN HAWAI‘I HOMES PART THREE INSIDE ISLAND LIFE | E1 on O‘ahu

where Hawai‘i moms meet FIND MORE FOR MOMS AT decrease HAWAII.MOMSLIKEME.COM Silenced by fear Homeowners may see lower tax bills in 2009 ’Bows stop IMMIGRANTS AMONG MOST VULNERABLE OF ALL if city doesn’t raise rate BY PETER BOYLAN Advertiser Staff Writer Chicago State The value of residential prop- erty on Oçahu has decreased Balocka pours in 21 slightly for the second time in as UH holds off seven years, meaning some Cougars’ late rally homeowners could receive low- er tax bills next year barring a SPORTS | D1 last-minute rate raise by the city. Honolulu officials began mail- ing out property assessment no- tices yesterday, but it will be well into the new year before the Another way City Council approves the tax rates. to Vegas Excluding new inventory and construction, the value of Oçahu’s Hawaiian adding residential property dropped to $155.3 billion from $157.5 billion a third flight to the previous year, according to our ‘ninth island’ the city. More than 283,000 Oçahu prop- BUSINESS | C1 erty owners will receive their 2009 real property assessment notices this week, including

THE ADVERTISER’S SEE PROPERTY, A2 BLOGS Cardiac, JEFF WIDENER | The Honolulu Advertiser Estrella Primo, 26, formerly of Micronesia, shows an injury she suffered after a relative hit her over the head with a chair. stroke It took eight staples to close the wound. Advocates are seeing more cases of domestic abuse among Micronesians here. Say “Alaka‘i” deaths fall SOME TAKE THEIR ON THE WEB Threat of deportation a big Rosa Say says with • Join a forum on domestic vio- concern for abuse victims boss-worker friendships, lence; see previous stories, a trying to get by in new land 30 percent HATE ONLINE multimedia presentation of it’s better to focus on Daysha's journal, resources for BY ROB PEREZ BY ROB PEREZ being a good boss. escape plans in multiple lan- Increasing obesity, Advertiser Staff Writer Advertiser Staff Writer Read her comments guages. diabetes threaten to and post your own at Not content with just inflicting physical When Sun Wang went to court to or verbal abuse, domestic violence offenders • Take a poll: Have you seen abuse and did you take action? seek protection from her estranged undo the improvement HONOLULUADVERTISER.COM are turning to the digital and electronic boyfriend, she feared for her life. /BLOGS worlds to hound their victims. • Go to HONOLULUADVERTISER.COM The Korean immigrant told a judge BY JOHN FAUBER /DOMESTICVIOLENCE for more. Those who deal with restraining orders in her ex-boyfriend had stepped on her Milwaukee Journal Sentinel domestic abuse cases say they are seeing a MILWAUKEE — Deaths from BROADCAST head, trying to crush it. TO SUBSCRIBE, CALL 538-NEWS growing number of examples in which the She said he had hit her, kicked her, heart attacks and strokes de- abuser uses text messaging, public Web sites • Watch KGMB9 tonight at 10: forced her to have sex, stalked her clined by about 30 percent from or other forms of high-tech communication 1999 to 2006, an improvement 6 sections, 46 pages ★ Why domestic violence and threatened to kill her with a sashi- to reach their targets. bystanders sometimes mi knife if he saw her with another that may be due to more aggres- Classifieds | F1-6 Family Court Judge Michael Broderick, don’t speak out. man. sive treatment with cholesterol Comics | E6 who presides over protective-order requests, “He calls me every night and he and blood-pressure drugs and Crosswords | E2 said he is seeing more cases of abusers turn- sleeps at the parking lot of my apart- healthier diets. Editorials | A12 ing to the Internet. THE SERIES ment building,” Wang wrote in her re- With a growing incidence of He recalled one recent case in which an ex- obesity and type 2 diabetes, how- Movie ads | E5 Sunday: The legal system quest for a protective order. “He boyfriend wrote on a public Web site that his fails many battered women watches and follows me wherever I ever, doctors say they are wor- Nation and World | A3 ex-girlfriend was great in bed, wanted lots of ried that the rates are poised to Yesterday go. I see him every morning watching Obituaries | B2 sex and listed her home address. : Safety net climb back up again. plagued with gaps my apartment from a near parking Stocks | C9-11 The high-tech abuse is happening even lot … He refuses to accept the fact According to the report, the Today: Abuse a concern in TV listings | E4 though protective orders that Broderick and that our relationship is over.” decline — 30.7 percent for heart other judges issue prohibit any type of con- immigrant communities attack deaths and 29.2 percent Weather | A4 In March 2004, authorities served tact, including e-mails and text-messaging. Tomorrow: Kids suffer from Hwa Yong Park with an open-ended for stroke deaths — represents exposure to violence © COPYRIGHT, 2008 Someone who violates a protective order is court order prohibiting any contact about 190,000 fewer deaths from subject to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine. Thursday: Military combating with Wang. those diseases in 2006 — the Allegations of high-tech abuse show up problems at home Less than two months later, the most recent year data are avail- frequently on petitions for restraining or- Friday: Training lacking Kakaçako nightclub worker was dead, able — compared with 1999. The ders. among professionals a bullet to her head and neck. After report was released online yes- “He is writing blogs about me on MySpace Saturday: Many survivors Park fatally wounded her at the night- terday in Circulation: Journal of overcome beatings the American Heart Association SEE ONLINE, A9 SEE IMMIGRANT, A8 A GANNETT NEWSPAPER SEE HEART, A9

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CROSSING THE LINE • ABUSE IN HAWAI‘I HOMES Many in Islands suffer in silence

JEFF WIDENER | The Honolulu Advertiser Domestic violence survivor Melissa Rigby, center, gives a high-five to Silvia Kostka, formerly of Micronesia, at a Big Island shelter for women. With the help of Child & Family Service and the Flight to Freedom program, Silvia and her children fled to Hilo from Maui, where she was abused by her husband. At right is Silvia’s 8-year-old son, Santriko Ioanis Jr. Shelter operators and others say they are hearing about more cases of domestic abuse in Micronesian communities in Hawaiçi. They are unsure whether the increase stems from a rise in violence or a greater willingness among the women to seek help.

afraid or unwilling to tell any- deportation, even if not credible, sored the woman to come to communities locally is escalat- Domestic violence, a one. to try to keep their victims from America and typically uses his ing, the greater number of immi- Immigrant Domestic violence, a crime speaking up. Wang’s abuser better understanding of the legal grants likely is a contributing fac- crime predominantly predominantly committed by threatened to report her to im- system against her. tor. Hawaiçi has one of the fastest committed by men CONTINUED FROM A1 men against women, is vastly un- migration authorities even though “Immigrants in abuse situations growing immigrant populations derreported in any community. she was in the country legally. are very, very vulnerable,” said in the United States. against women, is club, he took his own life. Victims don’t contact authori- Some women erroneously be- Calleen Ching, staff attorney at During the 1990s, the state’s The murder reflects what has ties for a variety of reasons. They lieve if they report abuse, they’ll Nä Loio, a nonprofit that pro- foreign-born population in- vastly underreported become a growing concern in still may love their partner and be deported. vides legal services to immigrants. creased 30 percent, to 212,000, in any community. Hawaiçi’s immigrant communi- believe he will change. They may “For immigrant groups, the fear “Abusers are more likely to prey according to census data. Immi- ties. want to keep their marriage in- of deportation really silences upon them because of their vul- grants constitute nearly 18 per- Victims don’t contact Female advocates and others tact for the sake of their children. many women,” said Cornelia nerability.” cent of the state’s population and say they are hearing about in- They may rely on their abuser’s Soberano, a social worker active To help address that vulnera- 25 percent of Oçahu’s. authorities for a creasing numbers of domestic- paychecks for food and shelter. in the Filipino community on bility, Congress added protec- No hard numbers, however, are variety of reasons. violence incidents in those com- Or they simply may be too terri- Maui. tions in immigration law specifi- available on the rate of domestic munities. What they are unsure fied to do anything. That fear can be exploited if cally for domestic-violence vic- violence in the immigrant popu- They still may love of, though, is whether the abuse Yet in Hawaiçi’s immigrant the victim is new to the Islands, tims. The protections would al- lation. their partner and problem is getting worse or more communities, which have grown speaks little English, has no sup- low the immigrant to legally stay But the anecdotal signs are people are speaking up because substantially in recent years, port network, is unfamiliar with in the country — even if the re- worrisome. believe he will of a greater awareness about many battered women face not her legal rights or available so- lationship with the abuser ends. Joe Bloom, program director what can be done. only the general barriers to re- cial services or is susceptible to But those protections don’t kick of Catholic Charities Hawaiçi’s change. They may Still, for every woman like porting but an additional one: pressure and manipulation for in automatically; the immigrant therapeutic services, said his want to keep their Wang who reports the abuse, far The fear of deportation. other reasons. And the abuser of- has to pursue them. agency has seen its immigrant more are suffering in silence, Abusers often use the threat of ten is a U.S. citizen who spon- If domestic abuse in immigrant domestic-violence cases increase marriage intact for as the number of clients using its the sake of their immigration program have grown. Bloom believes immigrant children. They may abuse is the fastest-growing area WHO ARE THE ABUSERS, THE ABUSED? of domestic violence in Hawaiçi. rely on their abuser’s Advocates and researchers paychecks for food A multi-agency study looking at nearly 200 domestic violence convicts from 2004 through 2007 found that Native Hawaiians were the working with other immigrant most commonly represented ethnic group. The most common age group among the offenders was 40 to 49. More than 90 percent communities, such as the Koreans and shelter. Or they were male, and nearly half of the overall group was single. and Micronesians, also are seeing simply may be too A Department of Health survey looking at victims also found that Native Hawaiians had the highest prevalence rate of domestic abuse. more cases, especially as tradi- Here are findings from both surveys: tional conflict-resolution prac- terrified to do tices have eroded. anything. OFFENDERS Denby Lee Toci, who manages a women’s shelter in Hilo, said Yet in Hawaiçi’s Ethnicity Age Marital status Job status calls from Micronesian women who recently moved to Hawaiçi Separated Widowed immigrant Hawaiian/ 60 or older Under 22 Jobless less Student have been gradually increasing, Other part-Hawaiian 2% 1% 2% 1% than 3 months communities, which 1% Employed with some seeking shelter, some 50-59 seeking only information. In their Samoan 30-39 Divorced 7% have grown 3% 12% native islands, domestic violence 22% 21% 37% 34% Single tends to be tolerated, Toci said, so substantially in Jobless 18% 46% 38% 54% the women are pleased when they 18% 22-29 more recent years, many 30% than 3 learn abuse is against the law in 20% 33% Hawaiçi. Married months battered women face Filipino White 40-49 “They like coming here,” she said. “They have more protec- not only the general tions.” barriers to reporting VICTIMS On one weekend in October, Toci’s shelter was a safe haven for but an additional one: The percentages below show the prevalence of domestic abuse among intimate or former intimate partners from 2002 to 2004 Silvia Kostka, formerly of Pohn- based on the overall adult population of each category statewide. pei, who had fled an abusive The fear of spouse on Maui. On that same deportation. Ethnicity Age Education Job status Household income weekend, Estrella Primo, who was Hawaiian/ 4.9% 35-44 3.9% High school 3% Unemployed 4.6% $15,000-$24,999 4.2% Kostka’s neighbor in Pohnpei, part-Hawaiian Student/ 25-34 3.1% Some college 2.8% 2.8% Less than $15,000 3.5% was injured after a relative hit Filipino 2.4% homemaker College $25,000-$49,999 2.7% her in the head with a chair dur- percentage of Hawaiçi’s domes- 18-24 3% 1.6% Employed 2.4% White 2.3% $50,000-$74,999 1.8% ing an argument at a family gath- tic-violence victims, despite years Unknown 1.4% Retired/ ering. Medical personnel used Others 1.9% 45-54 2.2% 1.8% Unknown 1.5% of trying to raise awareness. Less than can’t work eight staples to close Primo’s Of the past 11 intimate-partner Japanese high school 1.2% 1% 55-64 1.6% Unknown 1.4% $75,000 or more 1.1% wound. murder victims statewide, for in- Source: Validation study, Spousal Assault Risk Assessment, Interagency Council on Intermediate Sanctions; Health Department’s Hawaiçi Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance In the Filipino population, ad- stance, at least seven were Fil- System Survey vocates are alarmed because ipinos. The Honolulu Advertiser women of that ethnicity continue to make up a disproportionate SEE IMMIGRANT, A9 • The Honolulu Advertiser Tuesday, December 16, 2008 | A9

CROSSING THE LINE • ABUSE IN HAWAI‘I HOMES If it’s bad, elderly tend not to recall it New arrivals not alone New study suggests the frontal cortex, which does more abstract thinking. It’s as older people process though their brains dilute the information differently emotional punch of an unpleas- ant view, which makes it less BY MARILYN ELIAS likely to be remembered, Ca- Immigrant USA Today beza says. Brain scans suggest that old- “There’s a difference in how CONTINUED FROM A8 er people are much better than older adults process emotions. the young at screening out life’s They may be suppressing neg- In one 2002-2004 state study negative experiences, giving ative emotions to maintain looking at prevalence rates of in- them a rosier outlook, according emotional well-being,” he sug- timate-partner violence among to a study out today. gests. various ethnic groups, Native The new report adds to grow- The change could help older Hawaiians topped the victims’ list, ing evidence against the people cope with health prob- followed by Filipinos, whites, “grumpy old man” stereotype. lems and other losses, he adds. “others” and Japanese. “It’s just the opposite,” says neu- The bran scan results support In another state study of near- roscientist Roberto Cabeza of earlier research by Laura ly 200 domestic-violence offend- Duke University. “People tend Carstensen, director of the Stan- ers, 37 percent were Native to be more contented as they ford University Center on Hawaiian, 20 percent white and get older.” Longevity. 18 percent Filipino. In his study, adults in their She’s shown positive and neg- Recognizing the need to reach 20s and 70s looked at neutral ative images on a computer out to victims in a language they photos, for example a cup, and screen to young, middle-aged can understand, several nonprof- negative photos, such as muti- and elderly people. The its have embarked on programs lated bodies. Researchers did youngest remember positive aimed at specific ethnic groups. magnetic resonance imaging and negative photos about Nä Loio has domestic-violence tests on the participants’ brains equally well; by ages 40 to 55, brochures printed in 11 languages as they looked at the photos. more positive images are re- and recently started a Chinese Later, they were given clues membered. family awareness project. The about the images and asked to “And in those over 55 there’s Domestic Violence Action Center recall them in detail. a whopping difference between has a Pilipina Rural Project aimed Older people could remem- their memories of the positive at raising awareness within the ber just as many neutral images and negative,” she says. Filipino community. as those in their 20s. But they re- The age-related differences The Family Peace Center and membered significantly fewer are adaptive, Carstensen be- Valli Kalei Kanuha, a University of of the unpleasant photos. The lieves. Older people aren’t as Hawaiçi faculty member, are plan- report is online in the January motivated to recall the nega- ning an offender-intervention pro- issue of Psychological Science. tive. Knowing their years are gram that focuses on traditional The brain scans showed that limited, they prefer to focus on Native Hawaiian values and cul- young adults have stronger con- positive emotions and relation- tural practices. At Child & Fami- nections between the emotion- ships. Younger people need to ly Service, its offender programs al and memory-storing parts of expand their horizons and get are offered in about half a dozen the brain as they viewed the all the information they can. languages. negative photos; emotion pro- “Motivation changes what the Understanding the cultural motes better memory, Cabeza brain pays attention to,” Car- backdrop is important to under- says. standing why many immigrants stensen says. When the elderly viewed the are reluctant to report abuse. “This isn’t a structural change One common barrier is the no- unpleasant images, they had a in the brain, it’s function. It’s tion that what happens in the fam- much stronger link between the the ‘don’t go there’ syndrome ily, stays in the family. Victims emotional part of the brain and in older people.” are reminded, subtly or explicitly, that airing ugly, private matters would bring shame to the family’s a testament to long-term im- name. provements in cardiovascular “They end up living in this se- Heart disease risk factors such as cho- cret, silent fear and an almost lesterol and blood pressure, as learned helplessness,” said Hele- CONTINUED FROM A1 well as aggressive treatments na Manzano, the action center’s for risk factors after heart at- program manager who oversees by the Heart Association in co- tacks or after heart procedures the Pilipina Rural Project. operation with the Centers for are performed, said James Stein, The project was started in 2002 Disease Control and Preven- a cardiologist with the Univer- partly because of concerns about tion, and the National Institutes sity of Wisconsin School of Filipinas being overrepresented of Health. Medicine and Public Health. in intimate-partner murders. About half the decline was He noted that while smoking JEFF WIDENER | The Honolulu Advertiser The inability of immigrants to due to more aggressive use of rates have continued to decline, converse proficiently in English is At the League of Women Voters office Downtown, a group that includes, from left, Cynthia Iannce Spencer, cholesterol and blood-pressure the rates of smoking among col- another barrier. Although more Jackie Parnell and Jeanne Ohta, meets to address how Hawaiçi is dealing with domestic violence. drugs, as well as more wide- lege students have increased. services and brochures are of- spread rapid treatments in the “The solution is lifestyle — fered in multiple languages, too lit- studied domestic violence in var- tears. It was painful, they said, to could take care of his disabled hospital for heart attack and not more medicines,” he said. tle is available, including the serv- ious ethnic groups. “They just talk about memories they have mother. stroke patients, said Don Lloyd- “And we really need to start ice of interpreters. thought that was the way it was.” mostly tried to forget. The wounds Although they all lived in the Jones, lead author of the report when people are young.” “Language is a huge issue,” said For some battered women, the were still fresh. same house, she never was al- and an associate professor of Even with the decline in Nä Loio’s Ching. allure of finally being in the Unit- One woman said she was mar- lowed to sleep with her husband, medicine and preventive medi- deaths, cardiovascular disease In 2006, a Catholic Charities ed States — a goal many waited ried to her high-school sweetheart who instead brought a girlfriend cine at the Northwestern Uni- remains the No. 1 killer in the representative told legislators that years for — is too valuable to jeop- for nearly 28 years, and he beat into his bedroom regularly, the versity Feinberg School of Med- U.S., accounting for 829,000 it had documented cases of do- ardize because of some beatings. her throughout the relationship. woman said. icine. deaths, or one of every 2.9 mestic-violence victims being The abused woman also may feel Controlling, insecure and jealous, Immediately after the mother The rest of the decline was deaths in 2006. committed to the state hospital or an obligation to support the person he wouldn’t let her get a job, learn due to improvements in diet, died, the husband offered his wife THE DOWNSIDE jail because they were unable to responsible for her being in the to drive or go to school. Three $1,000 to sign divorce papers, she including less saturated and explain their plight to authorities. U.S., even if he’s beating her. times, she left him. Three times, said. transfats and less salt, as well as The report warned of several In some cases, the confined im- “Coming to America is the ulti- she went back “because of the “I didn’t want to be deported or less smoking, he said. troubling developments: migrants were not provided in- mate thing,” said the action center’s kids.” divorced because of the shame,” Over the seven years, total Total cholesterol levels, a ma- terpreters for several days. Manzano. “You sacrifice every- She said her husband would reg- she said. “Crying, I begged him cholesterol in men 40 and old- jor risk factor for heart disease, Legislators responded by pass- thing.” ularly rape her. “If I said no, he not to seek a divorce. I loved him.” er and women 60 and older decreased about 2 percent dur- ing a bill expanding access to gov- Another major concern is fear of would force himself on top of me, The husband responded by dropped from an average of 204 ing the study period for men ernment services by non-English retaliation, akin to what Wang ex- slap me, hit me, spit on me,” she throwing all her clothes in the milligrams per deciliter to 199, a over 40 years old and women speakers. perienced in the months before said, wiping away tears. “I just front yard, pushing her down the decline that likely was due to over 60, but remained steady Other barriers include religious her murder. Abusers often threat- wanted to die. I didn’t care.” stairs and locking her out. He more aggressive cholesterol for younger people, despite the beliefs that discourage divorces; en not just the victim but the vic- The woman, who once tried to threatened to have her deported. guidelines that were set in 2001. growing use of cholesterol-low- fear of losing one’s children; a dis- tim’s family. commit suicide, finally got a di- ering statins. Eventually, the husband let her The data allowed the Ameri- trust of the police and courts be- Cristina Arias, a victim advo- vorce in 2002. Since then, she has can Heart Association to reach About 62 percent of Ameri- back in — only to ask if she cause those institutions were cor- cate at the action center, recalled returned to school and learned to its 2010 goal of a 25 percent re- cans 18 and older reported that would delay the divorce so she rupt or protected only the power- the case of a woman who cooper- drive. duction in deaths four years ear- they did not engage in vigorous could have his girlfriend’s fertil- ful in their native countries; and ated with prosecutors in pursuing Another woman said she was ly. The association already had physical activity lasting more the reliance by the abused on the criminal charges against her hus- married for 13 years to a drug ad- ized egg implanted in her to de- announced in January that it than 10 minutes at any one time abuser’s paycheck for food and band. dict who was violent and owned liver the baby, the woman said. had achieved its goal for heart in 2006. other essentials. If the woman’s The prosecution so upset the two guns. Half of those years were He threatened to kill her if she disease and was close to achiev- For nearly three decades, the extended family is staying with husband that he told his wife her marked by violence, which got told anyone about the surrogate ing its goal for stroke. number of obese adolescents the couple, she may not want to Philippines family could be in dan- worse whenever he lost his job. mother plan. She refused to go Nonetheless, researchers al- ages 12 to 19 has increased, leave her husband because her ger. Shortly after that, the hus- “When he was high on drugs, I through with the plan. ready are noticing a small uptick reaching nearly 18 percent of family would have nowhere to go. band’s brother held a gun to the felt safest because he was in such The couple divorced last year, in cardiovascular disease deaths that population in 2006. Some victims also said they tol- head of the wife’s sister in the a stupor, he wouldn’t hurt me,” and the woman is now a legal among people ages 35 to 54 as a Scans measuring calcification erated violence because it was tol- Philippines and warned, “Leave the woman said. “So I would give permanent resident in Hawaiçi. result of obesity, physical inac- in the arteries of the heart sug- erated and minimized in their my brother alone,” Arias said. him money so he could feed his “I’m finally happy now,” she tivity and type 2 diabetes, Lloyd- gest that 15 percent of men ages home country. Several Filipina immigrants who drug habit.” said. Jones said. That could signal an 33 to 45 and 5 percent of women “Some of the people we talked invited The Advertiser to their A third woman said her hus- end to the declining overall had at least some plaque buildup. to didn’t even realize they were be- monthly meeting of a domestic-vi- band married her and then ar- Reach Rob Perez at death rates, he said. Doctors at Aurora St. Luke’s ing abused,” said Lois Magnussen, olence support group told simi- ranged for her to come to Hawaiçi [email protected] “It’s coming unless we re- Medical Center say they, too, a UH nursing professor who has larly chilling stories, all through only so, unbeknownst to her, she or 525-8054. double our efforts,” he said. have seen a drop in heart attack Lloyd-Jones noted that while deaths over the past several complete national statistics years. were not available, it appears “Mortality definitely is down, her said he sent text messages ing as a stranger. He sent a series response. that nonfatal heart attacks and but the disease is still there,” about him having sex with two of e-mails seeking more infor- Ed Flores, executive director of strokes only were down about said Anjan Gupta, director of Online girls and kept referring to her as mation about the item she was Ala Kuola, a nonprofit that helps 10 percent during that same the cardiac catheterization lab- a “fat ugly whore.” selling, then started asking per- people file petitions for restrain- time period. oratory at the hospital. CONTINUED FROM A1 One woman said her boyfriend sonal questions about her social ing orders, said a woman recently “We may be converting these The Heart Association esti- threatened to put on the Web a life. The e-mails eventually de- came to his office to complete into less-lethal diseases, but not mated that if the decline in heart without my consent,” one woman video of the couple having sex volved into demeaning com- paperwork seeking an order less common,” he said. attack and stroke deaths con- wrote in her petition, which al- — she said he took the footage ments about her, she said. against her boyfriend, who had The trend has been going on tinues, there will be about a 35 leged that her ex-boyfriend beat without her knowledge — if she The woman had a restraining been physically abusing her. since the 1980s, but what is not percent drop in 2008 when her, destroyed her treasured pos- broke up with him. She broke up order against the man, and she While she was at the office, known is whether doctors are compared with 1999. That sessions and once threw her into with him anyway but is still wor- said he was using a fake name her alleged abuser called on her making any progress in reduc- would mean 240,000 fewer the shower fully clothed and ried about what he might do. on the Internet to circumvent cell phone and threatened to ing the actual number of people deaths. turned cold water on her after The latest text message she the court order. When she re- write about their sex history on a with heart disease, said Bill The association said it re- she refused to shower with him. got from him: “It’s not over til I ported the abuse to police, she public Web site if she went Choi, a cardiologist at Froedtert mains to be seen whether im- “Some blogs also contain our say it’s over.” was told nothing could be done through with the petition. Hospital and a professor of car- provements in risk factors and ‘love story.’ The whole world can Some abusers take advantage because she couldn’t prove the e- The next day, Flores said, the diovascular medicine at the the quality of care have contin- basically read what was going on of the anonymity of the Internet. mails were from him, the woman woman called to say she wasn’t Medical College of Wisconsin. ued. between us.” A Makakilo woman told The said. going to pursue the restraining “We just cut off the tip of the Another woman who alleged Advertiser her ex-boyfriend re- Sometimes, just the threat of order because of her boyfriend’s iceberg,” Choi said. The Los Angeles Times con- her husband physically abused sponded to her Craigslist ad, pos- online abuse is enough to get a threat. The declining death rates are tributed to this report. WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 17, 2008 HAWAI‘I’S NEWSPAPER HOME FINAL 75 cents on O‘ahu | $1.00 on Neighbor Islands []BREAKING NEWS 24/7 AT HONOLULUADVERTISER.COM Panel may ask to lift limits on fundraising Flood victims picking

Spending Commission than 20 percent of their total fundraising during each cam- could seek repeal of paign-finance reporting period. their way out of ruins Mainland restrictions Lawmakers adopted the restric- tion, which took effect in January ing river, and it took my home field, such as John Wachholtz, BY DERRICK DEPLEDGE 2006, to prevent Mainland inter- Red Cross says dozens See more photos of the Advertiser Government Writer ests from having a dispropor- on Waiçanae Valley Road off its flooding’s effects on said those figures could easily of Oçahu homes badly foundation,” she said. “I’m look- residents and of the increase. The state Campaign Spending tionate influence on state devel- damaged or destroyed ing for somebody who can tell Red Cross helping out “There’s a lot more damage Commission may ask state law- opment, economic and social policies. me what I should do.” at HONOLULUADVERTISER.COM this time than there was in 2006 makers to repeal a restriction on BY WILL HOOVER Cambra wasn’t alone in her Barbara Wong, the commis- when we had all that 40 days of Mainland political contributions Advertiser Staff Writer distress. The American Red State civil defense said at least sion’s executive director, has rec- rain,” said Wachholtz, one of that has been described as a Clara Cambra showed up at Cross’ Hawaii Chapter said yes- 47 homes or other structures ommended that the commission several workers who have as- fundraising obstacle for the 2010 the Red Cross emergency shelter terday that among the more than suffered major losses, with a pre- ask for a repeal. The commission sessed damage in Oçahu’s hard- governor’s race. in Waiçanae yesterday afternoon 200 homes damaged by floods liminary damage estimate of is expected to decide this after- est hit areas of Waiçanae, Haleçi- State candidates are limited to unsure what to do next. on Oçahu, three dozen were se- $1.6 million. Mainland donations of no more SEE CAMPAIGN, A5 “The water was like a rush- verely damaged or destroyed. Red Cross volunteers in the SEE FLOOD, A2

INSIDE TODAY Read the sad story of Fed cuts Daysha Aiona-Aka, as told The Life and Death of Daysha through her journals, her family and her friends. interest CROSSING THE LINE • ABUSE IN HAWAI‘I HOMES PART FOUR INSIDE rates from equation A cycle of beatings Benchmark lowered to zero; next move to buy Baking up FOR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE TO END, KIDS ARE THE KEY mortgage-backed debt BY MAURA REYNOLDS holiday cheer Los Angeles Times BY ROB PEREZ WASHINGTON — The Fed- Wally Amos’ journey Advertiser Staff Writer eral Reserve ushered in a new thrives via his cookies Mikki Buentello grew up in a era yesterday: For the foresee- home in which her mother en- able future, interest rates are TASTE | E1 dured regular beatings from her nearly meaningless as a tool of husband. economic poli- When Buentello started dat- cy. ing, the cycle continued. One The central INSIDE partner after another would beat bank took two Eli’s coming; Cut will put and verbally abuse her. steps. First, it more money “Because I thought it was nor- lowered its in consumer Peyton, too mal, I just dealt with it,” she said. benchmark in- pockets | C2 “I didn’t know men were not sup- terest rate to as Both Mannings chosen posed to slap you or grab you by low as zero for for Pro Bowl on Feb. 8 the arm or hit you.” the first time in 50 years. Sec- Buentello, 31, wants the cycle to ond, it strengthened its pledge SPORTS | D1 stop. to buy vast amounts of mortgage- She is constantly drumming backed debt and possibly other into her five young children that securities to spur lending and men are not supposed to hit help restore the economy. THE ADVERTISER’S women, that women are to be “By going to zero, the (Fed) treated with respect. recognized that interest-rate ac- BLOGS The message may have a tough tions are now over and the mem- time sticking. bers will be concentrating on oth- Studies show that boys raised in homes in which the fathers SEE RESERVE, A14 regularly abused their spouses are more prone to become abusers themselves later in life, and girls raised in homes in which mothers are abused by the Baseball in Think Tech fathers are more apt to become victims. There’s no guarantee one will Isles going, Jay Fidell blogs about lead to the other, but the anec- HMSA’s new online doctor dotal evidence is strong enough service. Read his entry and that many say the key to reducing going, gone add your comments at Hawaiçi’s domestic violence prob- HONOLULUADVERTISER.COM lem lies with its youth. /BLOGS — again SEE KIDS, A6 BY STACY KANESHIRO TO SUBSCRIBE, CALL 538-NEWS THE SERIES Advertiser Staff Writer For the second time within a Sunday: The legal system fails decade, Hawaii Winter Baseball ★ many battered women 7 sections, 56 pages has struck out. Classifieds | F1-6 Monday: Safety net plagued with gaps Major League Baseball teams Comics | E8 voted not to renew their contract Yesterday: Abuse a concern in Crosswords | E2 immigrant communities with Hawaii Winter Baseball af- ter their three-year contract ex- Editorials | A16 Today: Kids suffer from exposure Movie ads | E7 to violence pired at the end of this past sea- son, HWB announced. Nation and World Tomorrow: | A3 Military combating Unlike the first time around problems at home Obituaries | B2 from 1993 to 1997, when HWB Friday: Training lacking among Stocks | C5-7 JEFF WIDENER | The Honolulu Advertiser walked away after Major League professionals TV listings | E6 A pregnant Mikki Buentello, 31, who’s in hiding from an abusive relationship, says her kids Baseball demanded the develop- Saturday: Many survivors mental league pay 100 percent Weather | A4 overcome beatings tend to be overly aggressive with each other and her, which she blames in part on their exposure to domestic violence. of the players’ and coaches’ © COPYRIGHT, 2008 salaries, it is MLB that is leaving Hawai‘i, apparently for greener • Photo galleries: Additional • Previous stories in this series INSIDE ONLINE pastures in Arizona. photos on victims of domestic vi- Go to HONOLULUADVERTISER olence “We were told it had nothing • Kids’ mental suf- • Escape from Abuse: Safety .COM/DOMESTICVIOLENCE for more on to do with what we didn’t do,” • See videos from KGMB9 News this series. fering caused by plans in different languages HWB President Hervy Kurisu abuse | A7 and The Advertiser said. “The logistics were the main A GANNETT NEWSPAPER SEE HWB, A7 A6 | Wednesday, December 17, 2008 The Honolulu Advertiser •

CROSSING THE LINE • ABUSE IN HAWAI‘I HOMES Effects on children can be lasting

they’re always walking on egg shells.” Kids It’s not clear how many Hawaiçi children are exposed to domestic CONTINUED FROM A1 violence. One study from the mid- 1990s estimated the number at as If young children and teen- many as 44,000 — a figure still agers learn that physical or men- cited by some today. tal abuse is not part of healthy re- Whatever the total, many lationships, there’s a good chance youths who need help go un- the cycle of abuse can be treated, according to a 2000 state stopped. study and interviews with experts. Yet that message doesn’t seem “My guess is we’re not treating to be getting through to enough nearly as many of those kids as young people, partly because too we should be,” said Dr. Charles few preventive programs are in Mueller, professor and director of place. the clinical studies program at One Department of Education the University of Hawaiçi’s De- survey reported that 10 percent partment of Psychology. of Hawaiçi high school students Mueller estimated that 25 per- and 6 percent of middle school cent to 70 percent of children ex- students indicated they were hit, posed to domestic violence need slapped or physically hurt by significant clinical treatment. their boyfriend or girlfriend over In the 2000 study of 25 women the previous year. victims in Hawaiçi, most said their When high school students kids suffered “extremely serious” here are asked whether they have distress because of exposure to been in a violent intimate rela- domestic violence, but only a third tionship or know someone who of the women sought psycholog- has, one of every two says yes, ac- ical services for their children. cording to Cynthia Iannce About half the mothers and Spencer, a Domestic Violence children showed substantial signs Action Center vice president. of post-traumatic stress disorder Sometimes, the students are as roughly two years after leaving young as 12 or 13. their abusive relationships, the Worse, when the center talks to study by UH, the attorney gener- teenagers about dating violence, al’s office and Pacific Behavioral many girls disclose that they’ve Health Services Corp. found. been repeatedly beaten and raped Given the prevalence of do- by their partners as a way to in- mestic abuse and its effects on still fear and control, Spencer children, schools should have a said. systemwide prevention program “This is prevalent,” she said. similar to the anti-drug DARE ef- “It is definitely a tool that is used fort, according to Mary Scott-Lau, in abusive relationships.” executive director of Women in The sex assault problem is es- Need, a nonprofit social services pecially common when teenage agency. girls are dating men in their 20s, “It needs to be in every single 30s or sometimes even older, said school,” she said, “so kids don’t Spencer, whose organization over grow up thinking that kind of be- the past fiscal year gave presen- havior is normal.” tations to more than 4,000 stu- DOE, however, does little in dents, mostly on Oçahu. terms of prevention aimed specif- “In those kind of relationships, ically at domestic violence. that’s where you hear a lot about Its effort is focused more on some pretty awful things,” she getting the word out to students said. that counseling services are avail- Even if the abuse is much less able to anyone needing help, re- severe or the children simply wit- gardless of the underlying cause. ness the abuse but are not vic- The idea is to create a nurturing tims, the ramifications can be se- environment in which a troubled rious and long-lasting. student reaches out for help or a Many adolescents will devel- friend of the student makes those op symptoms that can range from arrangements, said Dr. Steve Shi- depression and high anxiety to raki, DOE administrator for the hypersensitivity and learning dif- student support section, which in- ficulties. Some get post-traumat- cludes counseling services. ic stress disorder. “That’s how we create a sense And these types of problems of community at the school level can lead to other problems, af- so people know they are cared fecting still more people and for and supported,” Shiraki said. adding to the costs to society. Depending on the severity of Juvenile delinquency. School the case, a student can get help bullying. Increasing drug use. from a school counselor, DOE “Judges have recognized for psychologist or, in the most se- years the terrible consequences of vere cases, through a private domestic violence, especially for agency contracted by the depart- children who are exposed to and ment, he said. are witnesses of domestic vio- DOE tracks child-abuse cases lence,” Judiciary spokeswoman systemwide but not domestic vi- Marsha Kitagawa wrote in an e- olence ones, partly because the mail. “These consequences, in latter are more difficult to identi- turn, translate into costs, both fi- fy, Shiraki said. nancial and in terms of public A few public schools have a safety, for the community. Judges Keiki Safe program that is de- would like to see the community signed to identify kids exposed devote more resources toward to domestic violence and to pro- domestic violence prevention at vide treatment by the nonprofit the earliest stages. The commu- Family Peace Center. nity needs much more education When the program was a five- and social-service type pro- year pilot project in the late 1990s grams.” and early 2000s, it was able to The consequences of domes- identify many kids exposed to do- tic violence have hit home for mestic violence who were not al- Denby Lee Toci and her four chil- ready getting help, said Kata Issari, JEFF WIDENER dren on the Big Island. | The Honolulu Advertiser program director for the peace All but one of the children were Five-year-old Keçalohilani Ioanis coasts on her tricycle, down a path leading to a Big Island shelter, as her mother, Silvia Kostka, follows. center. abused during a stormy 17-year Kostka, from Micronesia, fled her home on Maui with her two children after receiving a death threat from her spouse. She escaped with The center tried to take the pro- relationship Toci had with her the help of the Flight to Freedom program and Child & Family Service. gram systemwide after funding high school sweetheart, she said. for the pilot project ended, but All four children, who ranged DOE resisted, Issari said. The cen- in age from 5 to 14 when she fi- ter still conducts Keiki Safe ses- nally left her husband in 2000, WHY DON’T THEY LEAVE? sions in roughly 10 schools, but needed therapy. that reach is limited by the fund- One child, who was isolated by Women who are abused by their partners often are reluctant to leave ing the center can obtain. the other three because she was the relationship. Here are some common reasons: Shiraki said the pilot project the only one not abused, became • FEAR. She is threatened with harm if she reports the abuse. ended for financial reasons and so depressed she tried to kill her- because the data showed it • FINANCIAL DEPENDENCE. She relies on his income for sur- self at age 13, Toci said. Another achieved only negligible im- vival. started smoking dope and getting provements. into fights at school, expressing • SHAME. She doesn’t want to bring dishonor to the family Another youth-oriented pro- his anger through defiance and name. gram aimed at preventing do- delinquency. A third became very • HOPE. She believes he will change his behavior. mestic violence also has been dis- introverted, the fourth very ag- continued because of funding gressive. • FAMILY. She wants to keep the family intact, especially for problems. “It was very, very hard on the the kids' sake. The Sex Abuse Treatment Cen- kids,” Toci said. “They loved their • DEPORTATION. For an immigrant, she believes his threats ter for several years sponsored a dad, but they went through a lot.” that she may be deported if the abuse comes to light. play for high school boys about While many youth exposed to • RELIGIOUS BELIEFS. She belongs to a religion that frowns healthy dating relationships. It violence will develop behavioral was performed on school cam- on divorce. problems, some will show no out- puses, but the last one was held in ward signs of difficulty and can • NO OPTIONS. She has nowhere else to live on a permanent the spring because of a lack of actually thrive in school, a haven basis. funding, said Adriana Ramelli, the from the volatility and unpre- center’s executive director. dictability at home. • SYSTEM BARRIERS. She dreads the prospect of dealing with the A similar play aimed at high “School becomes the safe place, criminal justice system if she reports the abuse. school girls still is being per- the nice place, the place where Source: Advertiser research JON ORQUE | The Honolulu Advertiser formed in conjunction with Ho- they want to be,” said Lisa Pi- nolulu Theatre for Youth, Ramel- mental-Dias, counselor at Heçeia Elementary School. “At home, SEE KIDS, A7 • The Honolulu Advertiser Wednesday, December 17, 2008 | A7

CROSSING THE LINE • ABUSE IN HAWAI‘I HOMES Aim is to ‘stop the cycle’

KIDS SUFFER MENTAL HARM FROM DOMESTIC ABUSE In a 2000 study, Hawaiçi researchers interviewed 25 mothers and 25 children who were exposed to domestic violence. Their findings and recommendations: • Only a third of the mothers sought psychological services for their children. • The mothers reported very significant levels of verbal and physical abuse (and sometimes sexual assault) by their spouses. • Their children were often present to witness the abuse. • A large majority of mothers felt that physical abuse seriously affected their roles both inside and outside the home — as wives, mothers and employees. • Most of the mothers regarded the levels of distress suffered by their children to be extremely serious. • A desire to keep the family intact (i.e., with a father) was the most frequent reason the mothers gave for initially remaining in their abusive relationships. Con- cern for the safety of their children (along with per- sonal emotional degradation) ranked highest among their reasons for leaving the relationships. • About half the mothers and the children showed JEFF WIDENER | The Honolulu Advertiser substantial signs of post-traumatic stress disorder Joshua Rigby, 10, lays out on the court after a game of basketball. He and his mother, Melissa Rigby, are two years on average after leaving the abusive rela- staying at a Big Island shelter after being threatened by a family member. At left is 8-year-old Santriko tionship. Ioanis Jr., the son of another domestic-abuse survivor. • Most mothers recognized that exposure to domestic violence could have negatively affected their chil- this awful thing,” she said, her has been the most affected. Al- dren's psychological health. Yet most did not seek eyes tearing up. “There’s an over- though he’s the “sweetest kid” to mental health assistance for their children, despite Kids whelming sense of doom, of pow- his friends, he has a short fuse having health insurance coverage. erlessness and of always being and can quickly lose his temper • Children whose mothers had PTSD showed signifi- fearful.” when dealing with his siblings or CONTINUED FROM A6 cant patterns of dissociation from their environ- Buentello, the domestic vio- Buentello, she said. ments. li said. lence survivor, doesn’t want her He also has trouble paying at- Because of tight fiscal times, kids to grow up with that same tention in class, she added, though “We’re having to make choices sense of doom and powerlessness. counseling has helped consider- RECOMMENDATIONS about what we can and cannot Already, she said her kids tend ably this year. do,” she said. to be overly aggressive with each By continuing to hammer home • Establish a specialized team of • Train law enforce- • Conduct psychological as- Adults who were exposed to other and her — something she at- a message of respect and healthy mental health workers to deal ment personnel to sessments of mothers and domestic violence as children said tributes in part to their exposure relationships, Buentello said she is with the potential problems of recognize the psy- children at the time of police the emotional scars can last many to domestic violence. hopeful her kids won’t pick up the mothers and children exposed chological problems intervention or initiation of tem- years. Before she left her boyfriend, he same abuse-related tendencies that to domestic violence. Abuse will and needs of moth- porary restraining orders to Annelle Amaral, a former police would sometimes throw things have passed from one generation alter patterns of thinking, behav- ers and children ex- forestall more serious problems officer and legislator who is now and trash the house simply be- to the next in her family. ing and feeling and will disrupt posed to domestic outside the family, such as at with Planned Parenthood of cause of something she said. Once, “It’s a cycle,” she lamented. wide areas of functioning. violence. the workplace or in school. Hawaiçi, said she still has a tough he beat her so badly her entire “We’re just trying to stop the cy- time talking about the abuse she side turned purple from bruising cle.” saw her mother suffer in the 1950s — and she was four months preg- Source: Pacific Behavioral Health Services Corp, University of Hawai‘i, attorney general's office and ’60s. nant at the time. Reach Rob Perez at “You grow up with a sense of Buentello said her 9-year-old [email protected] powerlessness, that you can’t stop son witnessed the most abuse and or 525-8054. Illustration by JON ORQUE | The Honolulu Advertiser

Baseball Organization — the two people until the league started, (But) the owners will meet next majority of the workers are sea- as coaches such as Mike Lum and Asian pro leagues — also con- and when farm directors started month to approve this plan.” sonal and he does not know how Lenn Sakata. HWB tributed players since the incep- to come here we started hearing Like the last time HWB dis- many full-time staffers would be Despite the loss, Kurisu is not tion of HWB in 1993. it firsthand.” continued play, the HWB entity affected since the HWB entity is bitter. CONTINUED FROM A1 “Everybody’s sad, everybody’s The move to Arizona is still will remain. Back then, it pro- still operating. “I’m going with the flow,” disappointed,” Duane Kurisu not official. vided other services, such as After HWB ended in 1997, a Kurisu said. “We did a lot of good part of the decision.” said. “But life goes on. Japan and “The operative word is ‘pos- baseball clinics run by then-Gi- similar league was started in the things for Major League Baseball The league said the decision even the Major League commis- sible,’ ” MLB’s senior vice presi- ants manager Dusty Baker (now Mid-Atlantic area with another and professional baseball in Asia. was made last week during sioner’s office (are disappoint- dent for baseball operations Joe of the Cincinnati Reds) and Cal starting the following year in Cal- We all hope that the things that MLB’s winter meetings in Las ed). (The commissioner’s office Garagiola Jr. told MLB.com. “The Ripken Jr. ifornia. Both only played for one we’ve done are things that have Vegas, where general managers doesn’t) make the call. It’s the contract is up and there are some “We have several projects season each. helped and will help make the voted, “for logistical reasons,” to teams that voted. People from alternatives under discussion, in- we’re working on,” Kurisu said. “I HWB has seen the likes of Ichi- world a little bit better. That’s consolidate minor league fall and the commissioner’s office were cluding something in Arizona, cannot say (what they are), it’s ro Suzuki and Todd Helton hone the main thing for me.” winter off-season developmen- with us from the beginning.” but at this point I don’t know if too premature, but they are base- their skills in the Islands. It also tal leagues in one location: Ari- anything is ‘final-final.’ ” ball-related.” featured a number of Hawai‘i- Reach Stacy Kaneshiro at zona, current home of the Ari- ASIA CONNECTION LOST Added Kurisu: “We also heard Kurisu was to meet with em- raised talents, such as Benny Ag- skaneshiro@honoluluadvertiser zona Fall League and spring Duane Kurisu, who has inter- they don’t have a budget for it. ployees last night. He said the bayani and Kala Ka‘aihue, as well .com or 525-8042. training’s Cactus League. ests in real estate, publishing and “For us, we take the high road investing and is one of 27 princi- and say we did everything we pal partners of the San Francisco SAVE $ $ BY REFACING POPULAR NHK TAIGA DRAMA TH could, the best way we could,” Giants, doesn’t think HWB was a Instead of buying new cabinets *NEW* SHIMAZU ATSUHIME - MARCH 30 (10 DAYS) HWB Chairman Duane Kurisu victim of the financial crisis. • Replace Doors • Drawers - Formica and Thermofoil Nagoya, Fukuoka/Hakata, Karatsu, Imari, Sasebo, Kujukushima Cruise, • New Countertops - Hi-Macs and Corian 100% Acrylic Solid Surface Nagasaki, Unzen, Shimabara, Kumamoto, Shinkansen, Kagoshima, Chiran, said. “Everything else was out of “We were the only entity in- • Yes, we are lic. - #C24208 Ibusuki, Nagasakibana, Sata Misaki, Osumi Peninsula, Sakurajima, • You get Contractor’s Pricing on Faucets, Sinks & Appliances Ebino Plateau, Dazaifu Tenmangu, Hakata Machiya Furusato-mura our control.” volved directly with Major- Showroom Hours HWB was for lower-level mi- League Baseball and the com- ESSENTIAL M - Sat. 8-4:30 1040 S. 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Too bad,” said some effect on this, but this part Email: Tohoku Ohanami – April 16th (11 Days) [email protected] Scott Werkmeister, who attend- (HWB) is small compared to the Flowers in Hokkaido – May 20th (10 Days) ed about 30 games this past sea- total Major League Baseball WebSite: Summer Tokaido Odyssey – June 11th (13 Days) www.ktshawaii.com Deep in Hokkaido – July 2nd (12 Days) son with his 13-year-old daughter, budget. It was about making Noela. “My daughter is going to things work better logistically. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ be so sad. I started taking her They’re going to lose the con- $ $ three years ago.” nection with Asia. But they look $ $ Damien Memorial graduate at it that the logistical issue and $ $ Chris Truby has the distinction the facilities issue would over- of not only playing in HWB, but come losing the Asian players.” $ $ coaching. 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SEE NURSING, A2

Read the sad story of Report Daysha Aiona-Aka, as told The Life and Death of Daysha through her journals, her family and her friends. critical CROSSING THE LINE • ABUSE IN HAWAI‘I HOMES PART FIVE INSIDE of ferry lifeline HMA Knights A war at home Allowing ship to sail finally official without EIS sets risky Makiki high school of FOR SOME, WHEN COMBAT ENDS, THE ATTACKS BEGIN precedent, auditor says

115 becomes newest BY DERRICK DEPLEDGE member of ILH Advertiser Government Writer A state law that gave Hawaii SPORTS | D2 Superferry a lifeline last year set a “worrisome precedent” that places the interests of a single business ahead of the state’s en- Union carries vironmental, fi- nancial and pub- lic safety re- on Times beef sponsibilities, Dispute with grocer not the state auditor found in a re- over, Teamsters claim port released in call for boycott yesterday. The law, BUSINESS | C4 which allowed Higa Superferry to re- sume operations while an envi- ronmental impact statement is be- ing prepared, undermines the en- THE ADVERTISER’S vironmental review process with BLOGS a substitute process that was ne- gotiated and tailored for Super- ferry, state auditor Marion Higa

SEE FERRY, A13

Living with Style Stimulus JEFF WIDENER | The Honolulu Advertiser Ooh la la! Busy Kaliegh Cuervo was in hiding at a Hawaiçi spouse abuse center after being shot, stabbed and beaten with a baseball bat package entrepreneurial mom while living on the Mainland. Her alleged attacker was her husband, then a Marine, back from his second tour in Iraq. “It was pretty scary,” says Cuervo, who has since changed her name and moved to Hawaiçi. “He wasn’t the man I married.” Cathy Lee blogs about a working mom’s ultimate Obama’s Many see violence against military yummy indulgence. INSIDE THE SERIES from exposure to Read her entry and post wives as a ‘big-time problem,’ but violence • Army, Marines Sunday: The legal your own comments at Today: Military first test not seeing an official statistics tell different story system fails many combating problems at HONOLULUADVERTISER.COM increase in abuse battered women home BY PETER NICHOLAS BY ROB PEREZ /BLOGS cases | A7 Monday: Safety net Los Angeles Times Advertiser Staff Writer Tomorrow: Training and check out our plagued with gaps lacking among WASHINGTON — President- Sitting at a Windward Oçahu spouse abuse other bloggers. Tuesday: Abuse a professionals elect Barack Obama’s call for shelter, thousands of miles from her alleged bat- concern in immigrant Saturday: Many speedy adoption of a massive terer, Kaliegh Cuervo lifted her blouse to reveal communities survivors overcome spending plan to “jolt” the econ- a small scar from a bullet wound on her left side. Yesterday: Kids suffer beatings It serves as a permanent reminder of the bru- omy will prove an early test of TO SUBSCRIBE, CALL 538-NEWS tal attacks she said she suffered on the Main- two major promises: that he will trouble sleeping, was more withdrawn, more land after her then-Marine husband returned work in a bipartisan style with a prone to violent outbursts. The first evening 7 sections, 60 pages ★ ✩ ONLINE from a second deployment to Iraq. skeptical Republican Party, and back, she said, he got night sweats so bad the mat- The attacks left other lasting effects. Her right that he will purge the federal Classifieds | F1-6 • Photo galleries: tress was soaked to the box-springs and had to be eye is permanently damaged. She has false teeth. budget of wasteful projects. Comics | E7 More pictures on replaced. Doctors told her she no longer can bear chil- Obama’s aides are assembling Crosswords | E2 the homeless and “It was pretty scary,” said Cuervo, 36, who dren. a two-year stimulus package that domestic violence changed her name and fled to Hawaiçi to get Editorials | A14 After the second Iraq tour, Cuervo said, her could cost $850 billion — and Movie ads | E5 husband came back a different person. He had SEE MILITARY, A6 potentially up to $1 trillion — Nation and World | A3 with a blend of new jobs, middle- class tax relief and expanded aid Obituaries | B2 • Videos: See reports from The ARMY BACKED DOMESTIC-VIOLENCE FELON for the poor and the unemployed. Stocks | C9-11 Advertiser and Even conservative Republicans BY ROB PEREZ TV listings | E6 KGMB9 News Free on bail, the convicted domestic-violence on Capitol Hill predict that, in Advertiser Staff Writer Weather | A4 • Previous stories in felon was able to transfer from the Guard to the this series In the Hawaiçi Army National Guard, a felony Army Reserve, get mobilized to active duty sta- SEE STIMULUS, A8 © COPYRIGHT, 2008 Go to HONOLULU conviction usually is enough to get a citizen sol- tus in New Jersey and start an Army job that re- quired a “secret” security clearance to train war- ADVERTISER.COM/ dier kicked out of the military. INSIDE DOMESTICVIOLENCE for But when Guard member Ernie Gomez was bound troops. Gomez even was able to enroll in and complete more on this series convicted of a felony in 2005 for terrorizing his Obama names two more a military police training course while a felon. wife with a semiautomatic weapon, his military choices for his Cabinet | A3 career was far from derailed. SEE FELON, A7 Automakers will idle their factories to save cash | C1 A GANNETT NEWSPAPER A6 | Thursday, December 18, 2008 The Honolulu Advertiser •

CROSSING THE LINE • ABUSE IN HAWAI‘I HOMES Jealousy’s a common theme

Photos by JEFF WIDENER | The Honolulu Advertiser Kaliegh Cuervo wipes a tear after a fellow domestic-violence survivor gave her a handmade T-shirt. Kaliegh changed her name and is in hiding after her military spouse allegedly nearly killed her.

To counter the domestic basically the same. The data in- more members return to Hawaiçi he’s different, he’s like a stranger, hard,” he said. clude restraining-order cases. from their second, third and he acts in ways he never did be- In another case, a woman told Military violence problem, the Army spokesman Loran Doane fourth deployments, the chances fore,” Broderick said. “The truth the court that her military hus- military provides said the decline in substantiated of domestic strain tend to rise, is, I hurt for these guys. But I still band threw her to the ground CONTINUED FROM A1 Army cases and the increase in the experts say. Because of that, grant the restraining orders” if and started choking her. She was extensive training to its personnel devoted to combating some agencies are bracing for the woman’s safety is at risk. able to get away and ran outside, away from her ex-husband. “He domestic violence and support- even more abuse cases. Broderick recalled a recent where her husband grabbed her wasn’t the man I married.” troops before, during ing families in Hawaiçi indicate “I fully expect we’ll see quite a case in which a soldier acknowl- by the hair and started dragging Cuervo’s description of how and after deployments. the programs are working. huge jump,” Bloom said. edged that he repeatedly hit and her into the street, according to the stresses of war transformed “We’ve succeeded in what we One area in which military threatened to kill his girlfriend. her restraining order petition. her former spouse sounded re- Families also are wanted to accomplish,” he said, abuse cases tend to frequently Dressed in his military fatigues, He finally let go and walked to markably similar to what many offered classes to help stressing that the programs will surface in the civilian communi- the soldier came to court agitat- her garage, where he punched other military wives and girl- continue adapting to the chang- ty is in the civil courts, where ed, pacing in the tiny room. holes in the wall. friends have told Hawaiçi court them understand and ing needs of soldiers and their temporary restraining orders are He told the judge he had been Those types of cases are not personnel, domestic-violence families. issued. wounded in Iraq and had killed uncommon in the daily stream counselors, victim advocates and cope with the lengthy Some outside the military say Ed Flores, executive director of people. Although he admitted of restraining-order requests to others to explain their partners’ deployments. Once the numbers fail to capture the Ala Kuola, a nonprofit that helps abusing his girlfriend, he im- come before the courts. violent or emotionally abusive true extent of the domestic abuse people file TRO petitions, said plored Broderick not to issue the Broderick said he has noticed tendencies. home, the soldiers go problem within the services, the vast majority of military cas- protective order she sought. other common themes in mili- Advocates believe such be- through more extensive tending to minimize it. es it handles involve troops re- “I’m begging you, don’t do tary cases, especially among the havior helps explain why some “I really do think it’s a much cently returned from deploy- this,” the soldier pleaded as his men returning from Iraq. Jeal- civilian agencies that deal with sessions covering a bigger problem than what’s being ments. girlfriend cried only a few feet ousy seems to be a frequent fac- returning troops or their spous- range of topics, from publicly acknowledged,” said “A lot of these wives will say, away. “Don’t take away from me tor, with the soldiers telling the es have seen a spike in domestic- Kata Issari, program director for ‘He’s not the same person,’ ” Flo- the one person I love and the judge about suspicious e-mails abuse cases involving veterans substance abuse to the Family Peace Center, which res said. only person who can help me their partners received or con- of combat in Iraq and Afghanis- provides services for Hawaiçi of- Family Court Judge Michael through this crisis.” cerns because the partners were tan. suicide awareness. And fenders and victims. Broderick, who decides restrain- In considering whether to is- going out at night with friends. “It’s a big-time problem,” said because re-adjustment Nationally, the picture is mix- ing order cases three mornings a sue the order, Broderick said he “In almost none of the cases is William “Clay” Park, a former ed. One study suggested that the week, hears that line all the time. had to separate the soldier’s pain there a basis for the suspicion at case manager and veterans spe- difficulties may not Army’s domestic violence rates Broderick estimated that rough- and war experiences from the all,” the judge said. cialist with Helping Hands surface immediately, overall are no worse than for ly 20 percent of his TRO cases in- woman’s safety. Because the Broderick said he also is seeing Hawaiçi. civilian families. Another noted volve military members. judge believed she clearly was more military men who seem Maj. Carlton Nishimura, head similar sessions are that one in five veterans of Iraq “What I frequently hear (from in danger, he issued the protec- genuinely confused that the judge the wives and girlfriends) is that tive order. “It was really, really doesn’t understand why they of Honolulu Police Department’s provided at several and Afghanistan reported symp- criminal investigation division, toms of combat stress or major ended up abusing their partners. said his unit saw few military do- subsequent intervals, depression, which can contribute “It seems a disproportionate mestic-violence cases before the to domestic violence. Still other number have recently returned Iraq and Afghanistan wars. such as 90 and 180 studies have shown increased from Iraq.” Now, he and others said, police days later for the substance abuse problems — an- The public’s glimpse of the do- are seeing them more frequently. other contributor to domestic vi- mestic violence problem in the Glenn Komiyama, the Judicia- Marines. olence — among recent combat military has come mostly from ry’s adult client services branch veterans. horrific criminal cases that have supervisor, likewise said tempo- The Miles Foundation, which generated widespread media cov- rary-restraining-order filings in- provides help to battered mili- erage. volving military members seem tary wives nationwide and at for- The case of Hawaiçi Army Na- to have increased since troops eign bases, has seen its caseload tional Guard soldier Tyrone Ves- began returning from deploy- skyrocket since the wars start- peras, for instance, received na- tional attention last year when ments. ed. Before October 2001, it had he was charged with various If the rate of military abuse roughly 50 new cases a month, murder-related crimes after he has risen in Hawaiçi in recent according to Margaret Bowen, allegedly stabbed his 14-year-old years, the official statistics hard- the foundation’s director of re- son to death. The teen was pro- ly reflect that. search and resources. As of June tecting his pregnant mother dur- The Army and Marines, the of this year, it was averaging ing a domestic dispute on the Big two branches that have shoul- nearly 170 cases per week. Island. dered the lion’s share of deploy- “We’re seeing a big correla- Vesperas and his wife, Cheryl- ments from the Islands, have re- tion between deployment and an increase in the number of cases Lyn Vesperas, had separated ported seeing little change in the shortly after he returned from a number of substantiated domes- and the severity of violence,” Bowen said. tour in Iraq. During the argu- tic-abuse cases locally. ment, the wife also was stabbed The Army total actually drop- Part of the problem is that the behaviors that underlie domestic repeatedly in the abdomen, po- ped from 160 cases in fiscal 2003 lice said. The unborn child did to 119 last fiscal year. The violence — power and control — are closely aligned to the com- not survive. Marines recorded 57 administra- Cuervo said her case got local tive cases in fiscal 2006, un- mand mindset in the military. Additionally, the combat ethos media coverage partly because changed from five years earlier. — warriors take charge and show of the severity of the abuse. Her The Hawaiçi Army National no emotion — can spell disaster ex-husband is facing prosecution Guard, which sent roughly half in an intimate relationship if the on a variety of charges, including domestic battery and kidnapping, its 5,500 members to the war soldier has trouble readjusting she said. zones in 2004 and 2005, reported and bottles up his feelings. Cuervo told her story from the a similar experience. Before the “It’s like jamming a cannon,” Windward shelter in October on deployment, the Guard averaged said Joe Bloom, program director the condition that her former hus- about one domestic-abuse case in for Catholic Charities Hawaiçi’s band not be named. Because she the court system per year, ac- therapeutic services. “Eventual- has changed her identity, includ- cording to spokesman Chuck An- ly, it’s going to blow up.” Cuervo shows the bullet wound, allegedly courtesy of her ex-husband. ing her Social Security number, thony. After the deployment, he Most troops typically have no The bullet penetrated and exited her breast. Now, she considers added, the average has remained major problems adjusting. But as herself lucky to be alive. “Every day of my life is a blessing,” she says. SEE MILITARY, A7 • The Honolulu Advertiser Thursday, December 18, 2008 | A7

CROSSING THE LINE • ABUSE IN HAWAI‘I HOMES Army says its programs work

Ernie Gomez ARMY, MARINES NOT SEEING INCREASE was free for Felon IN DOMESTIC ABUSE CASES more than three years after his CONTINUED FROM A1 domestic- Neither the Army nor the Marines, the two services that have violence And as the soldier pursued an shouldered the bulk of war deployments from the islands, have conviction while appeal and pardon of his do- seen an upward trend in substantiated domestic-abuse cases awaiting word, mestic violence conviction, since the deployments started. first on his some of his former and then- appeal, then on his pardon current military colleagues, in- request. cluding a lieutenant colonel and ARMY MARINES captain, urged the Hawaiçi 200 200 discharge process, according to courts and Gov. Linda Lingle to 160 Donald G. Rehkopf Jr., a New keep him out of prison and on 160 160 York attorney and former Air the job. They cited his exem- Force lawyer who has special- plary record of serving his coun- 120 120 try, his dedication to his family 119 ized in military law for 32 years. and his lack of a criminal record 80 80 If an appeal or pardon were JEFF WIDENER | The Honolulu Advertiser 57 57* — except for the domestic vio- pending, the commander likely

At Schofield Barracks, soldiers returning from Iraq attend a course lence felony. NUMBER OF CASES 40 NUMBER OF CASES 40 held off on starting that process, aimed at preventing domestic abuse. The Army says domestic- “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a FISCAL YEAR FISCAL YEAR he said. 0 abuse cases here have actually dropped, from 160 in 2003 to 119 command weigh in on behalf of 0 Gomez and his wife, Sherly ’03 ’04 ’05 ’06 ’07 ’02’01 ’03 ’04 ’05 ’06 last year. Marines show the same number in 2006 as in 2001. a soldier like this,” said Circuit Gomez, eventually divorced, and Judge Michael Town at one *Definition of domestic abuse expanded he has since remarried. Sherly solving counseling and other as- court hearing. Gomez and his current wife sup- sistance to help families cope Town presided over Gomez’s Source: Army, Marines The Honolulu Advertiser ported his pardon request, ac- Military with deployment stresses. trial and granted his motions to cording to court documents. “Without a doubt, the Army remain free on bail while he pur- The Gomez case has raised CONTINUED FROM A6 definitely has stepped up to the sued the appeal and pardon. tomatic handgun eight months combat,” Lt. Col. William Wall, questions similar to those posed plate to increase service delivery After the appeal was rejected earlier to terrorize his then-wife Reserve commander of Gomez’s with the help of the federal gov- and support for soldiers and in December 2007 and Lingle at their çEwa Beach home. At the New Jersey battalion, wrote in an by other former spouses of mil- ernment, she did not want her family members across the denied the pardon request in time, their 2-year-old daughter undated letter to Town. “It itary men who were found to new name linked to her old one. board,” said Cole Weeks, Fami- August, Town ordered the sol- was nearby, screaming and cry- would be a tremendous loss to have been abusive. She has since left the shelter. ly Advocacy Program manager dier to begin serving his five- ing. Gomez also was convicted of our unit if he had to leave now.” The system tends to favor the Cuervo, who often broke into for Army Community Service year mandatory minimum pri- abuse for striking his wife. Wall also was a New Jersey military member, not the vic- tears as she recounted what at Schofield Barracks. son sentence. Until then, Gomez Hawaiçi law requires that any- detective and said he understood tim, and minimizes the violence happened, said her husband was The military also provides had been free for more than one who uses a semiautomatic the seriousness of the domestic or threats of harm, several for- diagnosed with post-traumatic two options for victims to re- three years following his con- during the commission of a abuse charges. “Domestic vio- mer spouses and their relatives stress disorder after his second port abuse. One enables the vic- viction. For much of that time, felony receive the mandatory lence will not be tolerated with- told The Advertiser. tour in Iraq. After he became five-year minimum term. tim to get medical, counseling he was working for the Army. in my battalion and SFC Gomez “Do you know how hard it is particularly violent one night, and other treatment while law Critics say the Gomez case il- The crime happened just days will pay his debt to society,” Cuervo said she went to an to get someone kicked out of the enforcement authorities pursue lustrates the military’s tendency before Gomez was to graduate Wall wrote. emergency shelter, and four oth- military for domestic violence?” an investigation. That option to protect domestic abusers who from his Honolulu Police De- The Reserve officer told the er women whose husbands asked Joy Lacanienta, who was could result in prosecution of hold jobs considered important partment recruit class. He later court he was willing to have “the were in the same Marine unit al- quit the program. entire chain of command” sup- abused by her Army husband in the alleged abuser, with potential by their supervisors. ready were there, seeking refuge At the time, Gomez also was a port efforts to keep Gomez on the late 1990s and early 2000s. ramifications on his military ca- “This certainly cements our from their abusers. member of the Hawaiçi Army the job “only because SFC “It's close to impossible.” reer. The other option allows concerns,” said Annelle Amaral, Cuervo said she was hospi- an advocate for battered women. National Guard, according to the Gomez is a fine and outstand- Lacanienta said her now ex- the victim to get treatment with- talized for several months after “It’s extremely disturbing to employment history he provided ing NCO who has been proving husband eventually was dis- out requiring notification of the one beating, has had eight sur- think the military would defend with his pardon application. On his experience to soldiers as they charged after the Army con- alleged abuser’s command and geries since then and considers someone convicted of violent, Dec. 8, 2005, the soldier received prepare to deploy to theatre.” law enforcement. firmed the abuse, but it took herself lucky to be alive. “Every criminal behavior.” his mandatory sentence. Wall did not return phone “We do treat this issue very tremendous effort just to get his day of my life is a blessing,” she Gomez could not be reached More than a month later and calls seeking comment. commanders to take the matter said. “When I look in the mirror seriously and have a plethora of almost a year after he was found But even though the letter ap- for comment, and the public de- seriously. now, I see hope.” programs,” said Marine fender who handled his appeal guilty of terroristic threatening pears to have been written well Donna LaDuke, whose step- To counter the domestic vio- spokesman Maj. Alan Crouch. did not return calls from the and abuse, Gomez transferred after Gomez’s conviction, Wall daughter, Felicia LaDuke, was lence problem, the military pro- With the Hawaiçi Guard ex- newspaper. to the Reserve. He was ordered did not know he had been con- vides extensive training to its pecting more marital problems But a Georgia-based Reserve to active duty about a year later, victed, Jefferson said. killed by a Schofield Barracks troops before, during and after and divorces in the wake of a spokeswoman said Gomez assigned to Fort Dix, N.J., court His supervisor at Fort Dix, soldier in 2005, said multiple deployments. Families also are current deployment, the second should not have been able to join records show. however, was well aware of warning signs were ignored be- offered classes to help them un- for the group, it is planning to the Reserve with a felony con- Despite his felony record, Gomez’s conviction and still fore Felicia’s death. According derstand and cope with the hire more workers to track cas- viction and an investigation is Gomez was allowed to enroll in urged Lingle to pardon him. to testimony at Jeffery White’s lengthy deployments. es and provide additional sup- under way to find out how the a “military police reclassifica- “I can honestly affirm that SFC murder trial, 24 military mem- Once home, the soldiers go port services. system allowed that to happen. tion course” at Fort Polk, La., Gomez is one of the best sol- bers or their spouses had heard through more extensive sessions Among the services will be a “Right now, we’re trying to in- and in July 2007 he received his diers and noncommission offi- him threaten Felicia in the 18 covering a range of topics, from mobile team with family spe- vestigate where it broke down,” diploma, graduating in the top cers I have ever served with or months before she was killed. substance abuse to suicide cialists who can go to people’s said Maj. Claudia Jefferson. 20 percent of his class. have commanded,” wrote Capt. But no one took White’s threats awareness. And because read- homes. He also obtained a “secret” Javier Cortez-Perez in an Octo- If Gomez had been dishonor- seriously or reported them to justment difficulties may not sur- Park, the former Helping ably discharged from the Guard clearance required for his job at ber 2007 letter accompanying his superiors or the police, face immediately, similar ses- Hands veterans specialist, said because of his conviction, the Fort Dix, Gomez said in a letter Gomez’s pardon application. LaDuke said. sions are provided at several sub- the military is trying to cope with action would have been flagged to Town. It was not clear from Cortez-Perez said he had been White eventually was court- sequent intervals, such as 90 and the domestic violence problem, in a records check when he the letter when the clearance Gomez’s supervisor for the past martialed for LaDuke’s murder 180 days later for the Marines. but not nearly enough is being signed up for the Reserve and was obtained and whether it al- 10 months and “his character and and is serving a life prison term “These symptoms don’t man- done. Tracking of the problem is would have prevented him from lowed him to handle sensitive personal commitment to ac- with no possibility of parole. ifest themselves immediately insufficient and more counsel- joining, Jefferson said. military information. complishment of the mission and upon return,” said Marine Capt. But Jefferson said Gomez al- to the nation (are) unparalleled.” The Army said it thoroughly ing and other intervention pro- But nothing in his record at Seth Gibson. the time raised a red flag, she ready had the “secret” clearance Also in the pardon packet was grams are needed, Park said. investigates all allegations of do- Since the deployments started, added, and no security back- when he joined the Reserve, hav- a letter from John R. Penebacker, He said he has spoken to mestic abuse, noting that such the Army in Hawaiçi has added ground check was done because ing obtained it while he was in a retired Guard colonel who was offenses undermine the mission to its community service staff many combat veterans who are the one he had from the Guard the Guard. Gomez’s commanding officer for struggling to cope with the af- readiness and well-being of sol- to offer expanded programs to still was current. As Gomez, then a sergeant about three years. He urged Lin- diers and family members. soldiers and their dependents. ter-effects of the war and whose A Guard spokesman con- first class, pursued his appeal gle to grant the pardon. “In every instance, substanti- Workers, for instance, con- marriages have ended or are un- firmed that Gomez transferred and pardon, friends and col- “I know that for Mr. Gomez, ated cases of domestic violence duct life-skill classes and other der tremendous stress. from the Guard to the Army Re- leagues wrote to Town and Lin- time has provided opportunity family-friendly services. New “The system is failing the guys serve in January 2006. But he gle on the soldier’s behalf. for soul-searching, self-reflec- are taken seriously and aggres- parents can get home visits from and their spouses,” Park said. said he couldn’t disclose details “SFC Gomez has been with tion and remorse,” Penebacker sively pursued by the Army, en- family consultants and can join of Gomez’s case, citing privacy our organization for the last sev- wrote in October 2007. suring proper protection and jus- group sessions for specialized Reach Rob Perez at regulations. eral months and has been a ma- In felony cases, military law tice for victim and accountabil- help. rperez@honoluluadvertiser A jury in February 2005 found jor part of the success we are gives a convict’s commander the ity for offender,” spokesman Lo- Consultants provide problem- .com or 525-8054. Gomez guilty of using a semiau- having in preparing soldiers for discretion on when to start the ran Doane said in an e-mail. FRIDAY DECEMBER 19, 2008 HAWAI‘I’S NEWSPAPER HOME FINAL 75 cents on O‘ahu | $1.00 on Neighbor Islands []BREAKING NEWS 24/7 AT HONOLULUADVERTISER.COM INSIDE TODAY Rockslide Crowd swarms Target job fair Rising unemployment first person hired by Target Corp. the nation’s second-largest dis- a.m., started telling people around THE ADVERTISER’S VIDEO REPORTS clogs road heightens competition at the start of a four-day effort to count retailer drew an over-ca- 8:45 a.m. that they would have to fill 1,200 jobs at two Oçahu stores pacity crowd that included many come back on another day. Target’s job Small boulders, for work at 2 Isle stores scheduled to open in March. who have been left jobless this The first job-seeker showed up fair drew more “I’m so thankful,” said Chong, year by layoffs at numerous at 11 p.m. Wednesday. But Con- than 1,000. sand, mud force BY ANDREW GOMES who was laid off nine months ago Hawaiçi companies. vention Center officials turned Watch a video Advertiser Staff Writer when the local airline’s passen- So many people showed up at would-be campers away. and see more Kalanianaçole photos at Highway closure Former Aloha Airlines em- ger service shut down. “It’s been the hiring fair at the Hawaiçi Con- At 4:30 a.m. yesterday, there ployee Maria Chong of Nänäkuli a struggle.” vention Center that Target, which HONOLULUADVERTISER.COM hit the bull’s-eye yesterday as the The opportunity to work for planned to open the doors at 9 SEE TARGET, A2 HAWAIÇI | B3 Obama Read the sad story of Daysha Aiona-Aka, as told The Life and Death of Daysha through her journals, her coming family and her friends. CROSSING THE LINE • ABUSE IN HAWAI‘I HOMES PART SIX INSIDE home tomorrow ‘Deep Throat’ A time to change President-elect plans to dies at 95 honor late grandmother during 10-day Isle visit W. Mark Felt tipped off reporters to 1972 Advertiser Staff INTERVENTION PROGRAMS OFFER ABUSERS INSIGHT President-elect Barack Obama Watergate scandal is expected to arrive tomorrow in OBITUARIES | B2 Honolulu for a 10-day holiday with his family and to mark the death of his grandmother. Obama has no public events on his schedule, sources said, but Obama does plan to honor his late grandmother, Passing up Madelyn Dun- ham, who died the walk Nov. 2 at age 86, two days before Warriors’ Kafentzis Obama won the Planned Obama presidency. trip triggers opts for bowl practice Obama, his airspace clo- over commencement wife, Michelle, sure. Watch at and daughters HONOLULU SPORTS | D1 Malia and Sasha, ADVERTISER.COM plan to stay in a beachfront property in THE ADVERTISER’S Kailua, according to an Associ- ated Press report earlier this BLOGS month. The property includes

SEE OBAMA, A17

JEFF WIDENER | The Honolulu Advertiser Urban Mix Plate Domestic violence specialist Ray Torres runs a discussion group on the Big Island for domestic abusers, part of a 28-week Retailers domestic violence intervention program. At left are discussion-group participants Russell Lawrence and Ronald Delos Santos. hoping Melissa Chang takes BY ROB PEREZ three strangers on a MANY ILL-PREPARED TO ONLINE Advertiser Staff Writer Metromix.com tasting Joe never hit, kicked or Santa will adventure at Gazen Iza- • Photo galleries: DEAL WITH PROBLEM More pictures on the slapped his wife. Because of kaya. Read her entry homeless and do- that, he never considered him- and post your own BY ROB PEREZ self a domestic abuser. show up Advertiser Staff Writer mestic violence comments at That hardly mattered when The two men who were charged with the first two • Videos: See HONOLULUADVERTISER.COM reports from The his wife earlier this year told Holiday season sales domestic-violence murders on Oçahu this year were on /BLOGS Advertiser and him she was filing for divorce hanging on the final parole at the time of the killings. KGMB9 News and demanded that he move But the convicted felons were being monitored by a • Previous stories in this series out of their Oçahu home. For push before Christmas state agency that did not provide domestic-violence her, the years-long emotional TO SUBSCRIBE, CALL 538-NEWS training to all its parole officers. Go to HONOLULUADVERTISER.COM BY GREG WILES /DOMESTICVIOLENCE for more on this and mental abuse had become The family of one of the murder victims, Jenny too much. Advertiser Staff Writer 10 sections, 138 pages ★ series Hartsock, says the Hawaiçi Paroling Authority’s in- “I was oblivious to the fact With Christmas less than a Classifieds | F1-12, G1-6 ability to recognize signs of domestic violence in her that it was domestic violence,” week away, local retailers are Comics | E6 troubled marriage to parolee Roy Hartsock was a fac- THE SERIES he said. wondering if Santa is going to Crosswords | E2 tor in her murder — a charge the agency denies. Today, Joe (not his real make an appearance. But since the two homicides, the paroling authority Sunday: The legal system Editorials | A18 name) is voluntarily attending Sales so far this holiday sea- has decided to establish a formal domestic-violence fails many battered women a domestic violence interven- son appear to disappointing, with Movie ads | TGIF 21-23 training program for its officers. Monday: Safety net plagued tion program at Catholic Char- retailers working hard to gain Nation and World | A3 “I’m not saying we could prevent (these incidents),” with gaps ities Hawaiçi. He realized — shopper traffic by cutting prices. Obituaries | B2 said paroling administrator Max Otani. “But more Tuesday: Abuse a concern in too late — that the psycholog- Now comes the final push of Stocks | C5-7 training is always good.” immigrant communities ical abuse he was inflicting on the season, with shoppers hoping Wednesday: Kids suffer from his wife and their two children that stores will chop prices fur- TV listings | E4 SEE VIOLENCE, A13 exposure to violence was just as damaging as if he ther, and shop owners hoping to Weather | A4 Yesterday: Military were beating them physically. end the holidays with a bang. In some ways, the emotion- “My merchants are optimistic © COPYRIGHT, 2008 Join Advertiser reporter Rob Perez today, combating problems at home al scarring can be more pro- by nature,” said Fred Paine, gen- noon to 1 p.m., as he takes questions Today: Training lacking found and longer lasting. eral manager of Pearlridge Cen- and comments on our seven-day among professionals “I came to the full realiza- ter. “They’re saying the big push domestic violence series. Go to Tomorrow: Many survivors overcome beatings will be coming at the end of this CROSSINGTHELINE.HONADVBLOGS.COM. SEE ABUSERS, A12 week and next week.” Retailers are keeping their fin-

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CROSSING THE LINE • ABUSE IN HAWAI‘I HOMES Hard to say if programs work

Photos by JEFF WIDENER | The Honolulu Advertiser Men convicted of domestic violence take a smoke break during a domestic violence intervention group, part of the Turning Point for Families Alternatives to Violence Program in Hilo.

One of the most courts of committing domestic they see one parent abusing an- to an Advertiser questionnaire. Hundreds of domestic abusers violence is ordered to complete other, and they often resort to “Much to my (dismay), this go through intervention programs Abusers perplexing aspects of an intervention program as part similar behaviors in their own choice of behavior ironically only in Hawaiçi annually, though the domestic violence deals of their sentence, which also can intimate relationships as they be- served to drastically lower the totals have declined in recent CONTINUED FROM A1 include jail time or probation. A come adults. In that fashion, the respect of my wife and children.” years as convictions have de- with the motivation minority of abusers, including cycle of violence is passed from Joe, who has a graduate-school creased. Over the past decade, tion that I hurt them deeply,” Joe, realize on their own that they one generation to the next. education and earns a six-figure for instance, the number of bat- said Joe, who asked that his real behind the abuse. Why have a problem and voluntarily “Babies are not born to be vi- income in a profession he would- terers who have taken interven- name not be used because of pos- would anyone resort to seek help. olent,” said Ray Torres, a Child & n’t identify, didn’t realize he was tion courses at Family Peace Cen- sible implications to his career. “I One of the most perplexing as- Family Service domestic violence gradually destroying his family. ter, one of two main providers of didn’t want to be that guy any- beating a loved one? pects of domestic violence deals specialist who conducts inter- “The truly sad part of this sor- court-mandated programs on more.” with the motivation behind the vention courses for offenders on did story is that I didn’t listen to Oçahu, has dropped to 300 to 400 Joe is among the thousands of abuse. Why would anyone resort the Big Island. “Violent behav- my wife when she warned me of annually, from about 500 to 700. Hawaiçi residents who are cur- to beating a loved one? ior is something that is learned.” the (consequences) of my ac- One of the chief aims of such rent or former domestic abusers. Most experts say such behav- Joe said his abusive, negative tions,” he wrote. “She said time programs is to change the be- Most are men, though prosecu- ior is learned. Offenders believe behavior — he complained a lot, and time again that she was tired havior of offenders. tors are seeing a small but grow- turning to abuse to maintain was domineering, confronta- of my being a boiling cauldron of Whether the programs succeed ing number of women. power and control over a woman tional, lacked compassion — angry water that spilled out and on a long-term basis is difficult to Some offenders deny they are is OK because they see it all stemmed from a fear of losing scalded her and the children.” gauge — here and nationally — abusers, even if a court says oth- around them — in movies, video control and a sense of insecuri- The couple eventually di- because of a lack of data. erwise. Some rationalize their games, television programs, oth- ty and inadequacy. vorced, and Joe’s ex-wife and The nonprofit agencies that their two children moved to the behavior, saying the violence was er relationships, social institu- “I would use my temper typically run the programs bare- warranted. Some, however, ac- tions, advertising. tantrums and tyrannical episodes Mainland. “I paid a huge price,” ly have enough money to main- knowledge they crossed the line. In many cases, the offenders of exploding anger to demand he said. “I’ve lost everything tain existing services, let alone Anyone found guilty in Hawaiçi also grow up with it. As children, respect,” Joe wrote in response that’s most important to me.” fund the collection and analysis of data showing how offenders behave long after completing the courses, experts say. “We are so data-poor in this state,” said Charlene Baker, a University of Hawaiçi assistant professor who has done exten- sive research in the domestic vi- olence field. “We don’t know whether what we’re doing is working.” On a short-term basis, the agencies here say their data in- dicate that the programs gener- ally result in improved behav- iors, especially during the rough- ly six to seven months offenders are taking the weekly courses. Kata Issari, program director for the peace center, said staff assessments consistently show that at least 95 percent of of- fenders who complete the cen- ter’s program show improve- ments. Torres said his Big Island course typically achieves at least a 70 percent success rate. But once the abusers complete the programs, the behavioral in- formation that is collected is much more limited. Does the abuser revert to his old ways a year later? Two years later? Those questions are much hard- er to answer. Torres said the offenders nonetheless tell him the program does make a difference. “One of the most common re- sponses I get from the men is, ‘Why isn’t something like this taught to us at a younger age? Why isn’t something like this At Catholic Charities Hawaiçi, program director Joe Bloom displays two images that a domestic-violence offender drew of his wife. In the drawing at left, the convict sees his wife taught in high school?’ ” Torres as beautiful; the other drawing depicts how he sees her since his conviction. said. • The Honolulu Advertiser Friday, December 19, 2008 | A13

CROSSING THE LINE • ABUSE IN HAWAI‘I HOMES Agency denies missing danger signs

JEFF WIDENER | The Honolulu Advertiser The Rev. Al Miles helps victims of domestic violence at The Queen’s Medical Center chapel. He’s the author of the book “Domestic Violence: What Every Pastor Needs to Know.”

vention Fund survey from 2000 seling sessions. Sufficient training is “We feel our program is one of knife went through one of her and 2001, the state received D For all four women, the church the best in the country,” said Maj. legs and into the other. Violence grades for its healthcare-related was an important part of their important because Carlton Nishimura, head of HPD’s Had the parole officers under- domestic-violence laws; in the lives, but their marriages were many victims are criminal investigation division. stood the dynamics of domestic CONTINUED FROM A1 training category, Hawaiçi re- so abusive they pursued divorces, A Judiciary spokeswoman said violence, they would have been ceived zero points, the lowest Arias said. All four were excom- reluctant to Family Court judges get domes- much more skeptical of his ex- The authority’s experience un- possible rating. municated from the church. acknowledge they are tic-violence training “fairly reg- planation and more intensely derscores a common weakness “We definitely should be doing Some churches acknowledge ularly.” As recently as September, questioned and monitored him, among many Hawaiçi agencies and more training,” said Dr. Shay the seriousness of the problem being abused, often a Mainland judge who conducts the sister and co-workers said. organizations that frequently deal Bintliff, a Big Island ER physi- and provide training accordingly. such training nationwide was preventing them from Had they done that, they added, with domestic violence victims. cian who has taught domestic- Jack Hoag, a spokesman for the here to give a course. the officers would have learned Few of the organizations pro- violence-related courses before. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- getting the help they “Domestic violence dynamics that Jenny was showing up to At Hawaiçi Pacific Health, day Saints in Hawaiçi, said its bish- are complex and tricky,” the Ju- vide their employees with train- work with bruises and a black ing on recognizing and under- which operates four hospitals, ops have periodic training about diciary spokeswoman wrote in need. That means front- eye in the week or two before standing the complicated dy- including Kapiçolani Medical recognizing signs of domestic vi- an e-mail. “Cases are often ex- her murder. namics of what is a pervasive Center for Women & Children, olence and then train others who line professionals, such acerbated because many victims problem in the Islands. And for employees are required each year work for the church. Their main as medical workers, simply cannot afford good legal Tracey Uejo, Jenny Hartsock’s the ones that do provide training, to take a one-hour training goal: protect the innocent. representation or any legal rep- sister, told her killer at his sen- the level often is inadequate, vic- course online and pass an exam. Hoag said church leaders have police officers and resentation.” tencing that he should expect to stay behind bars a long time. tim advocates say. Bintliff said that training prob- been talking about this issue for church pastors who The training gap at the parol- Sufficient training is important ably is more than the majority years. “It’s a national problem, ing authority became evident af- “There will be no more hope, because many victims are reluc- of other hospitals here require, not just within the church,” he come in contact with ter the back-to-back homicides no chance, no more slipping tant to acknowledge they are be- and she suspects some provide said. at the beginning of the year. through any crack that will set ing abused, often preventing no training at all. Judges, particularly per diem victims must be able to Jenny Hartsock was discov- you free from prison,” she said. them from getting the help they Advocates refer to other pro- ones, and police officers also are recognize symptoms ered with a knife in her chest just “Not even an expert con artist need. That means front-line pro- fessions, including the clergy, other groups commonly men- outside her Kalihi apartment in like you will be able to fool the fessionals, such as medical work- that need better training. tioned. and know how to early January, and Janel Tupuo- parole board again.” ers, police officers and church Religious leaders are particu- Both groups receive domestic- respond appropriately. la was beaten to death with the Otani, the administrator, dis- pastors who come in contact larly important because some violence training, but advocates butt of a shotgun about a week puted that the paroling authority with victims must be able to rec- victims will only confide in their question whether the sessions later in a Kailua street. Each had missed red flags in monitoring ognize symptoms and know how pastors about their abuse. are sufficient, given the feedback been in a stormy relationship the two parolees. But with back- to respond appropriately. “Yet most clergy are ill- they get from victims on how with a parolee. to-back killings, the agency want- “We’re lagging behind in that equipped to deal with intimate they were treated in the criminal Roy Hartsock, who was on pa- ed to become more versed in do- regard,” said Nanci Kreidman, partner violence,” said the Rev. justice system. role for burglary and assault, was mestic violence to better recog- chief executive of the Domestic Al Miles, coordinator of hospital Kata Issari, program director sentenced in September to life nize the signs and understand how Violence Action Center. ministry at The Queen’s Medical for the Family Peace Center, in prison for his wife’s death. to respond accordingly, he said. To illustrate the point, Kreid- Center and a nationally recog- which provides three hours of Alapeti Siuanu Tunoa, who Gaps in training and other areas man said a hospital contacted the nized expert on the topic. Miles training to police recruits here, was on parole for robbery, was of the domestic-violence safety said she used to give a full day of charged with second-degree mur- center to ask if staff could be as- conducts clergy training around net exist in part because the com- signed to the hospital emergency the country. training to recruits in Michigan. der and other offenses in con- munity hasn’t made tackling the room. The hospital said the ER Many pastors will cite religious Although she stressed that she nection with the death of Tupuo- problem a high enough priority, was seeing more domestic-vio- doctrine to counsel victims to wasn’t criticizing the Honolulu la, his former girlfriend. His case lence cases but was ill equipped, keep their marriages intact, even Police Department, she said more is pending. advocates and other say. beyond the medical needs, to if the relationships have become training would bring substantial In the Hartsock case, the vic- The action center’s Kreidman handle them. physically abusive, according to benefits. tim’s sister and co-workers said said society has invested millions Unable with her existing staff Miles and others. “Three hours is just the tip of the paroling authority was fooled of dollars in anti-smoking efforts, to take on the hospital project, Cristina Arias, a victim advo- the iceberg,” Issari said. “It’s not into believing a stabbing incident which have been hugely suc- Kreidman planned to apply for a cate at the action center, recalled sufficient time to understand the several months before Jenny cessful. grant to fund it, but the hospital four clients who all were in abu- dynamics of domestic violence.” Hartsock’s murder was an acci- “But we haven’t seen that same later nixed the idea. sive marriages, belonged to the But police officials say the dent. Roy Hartsock, who was on kind of effort and investment in Hawaiçi laws that help health- same church and were told by three hours are just part of at the highest level of parole-mon- preventing violence against care providers assist domestic their pastor they would be ex- least 13 hours of domestic-vio- itoring status and had a history of women and children,” she said. violence victims have received communicated if they divorced lence-related classroom sessions domestic abuse, told authorities poor marks historically in one their husbands. recruits get during the six-month he accidentally tripped while car- Reach Rob Perez at rperez national survey. The pastor instead advised the course, plus other training out- rying a knife in the bedroom @honoluluadvertiser.com or In the Family Violence Pre- four to attend his marriage coun- side the classroom. where his wife was sleeping. The 525-8054. SHOP FREE EVERY DAY “A Sale Like Never Before” WET OKOLE HAWAII ONE WEEK ONLY! 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Hawaiçi’s weakening ber reached a nine-year high of has climbed steadily since late jobs grew by 1,200 from 620,300 in 4.9 percent as employers contin- last year and has been fueled by VISITOR ARRIVALS October, but there were job loss- economy pushes figure ue to struggle in a weakening dozens of companies laying off es in nearly every private-sector in November to 4.9% economy. thousands of workers. November’s numbers down 15.9% | C1 industry, the state reported. The jobless rate was 2 per- The number of unemployed last Nationally, the seasonally ad- BY CURTIS LUM centage points higher than in month was 32,650, compared with justed unemployment rate rose to Advertiser Staff Writer the same month last year and a 30,400 in October and 18,850 a 6.7 percent last month, the high- The state’s seasonally adjusted 0.3 percentage point increase year ago, according to the De- Relations. The number of sea- unemployment rate in Novem- from October. Unemployment partment of Labor and Industrial sonally adjusted nonagricultural SEE JOBLESS, A6

3 survive Kailua Read the sad story of plane crash Daysha Aiona-Aka, as told The Life and Death of Daysha through her journals, her abuzz for Flight-school craft family and her friends. lost power on takeoff, CROSSING THE LINE • ABUSE IN HAWAI‘I HOMES PART SEVEN INSIDE hit utility poles Obama’s at Kalaeloa arrival HAWAIÇI | B1 BY MARY VORSINO Advertiser Staff Writer As workers cut grass, brought Jones settles Survivors inspire in poinsettias and cleaned the beach yesterday at the upscale Kailua enclave where Barack debt to UH Obama will ar- THOSE WHO ESCAPE GIVE HOPE TO OTHERS rive this after- Former noon to spend coach the holidays with family, donates neighbors and to scholar- those who fre- ship fund quent the stretch of shore- to end line were abuzz Obama contract dispute over the prospect of SPORTS | D1 catching a glimpse of the presi- dent-elect. “We’re very, very excited. It’s amazing,” said Richard Myer- scough, 43, of Vancouver, British Pep rally on Columbia, who is vacationing with family in a home two doors the beach SEE OBAMA, A2 Hawaiçi Bowl fans can cheer for both UH and Notre Dame in Waikïkï

ISLAND LIFE | E1

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JEFF WIDENER | The Honolulu Advertiser Donna Ho'omanawanui, left, resident night manager at a Windward spouse abuse shelter, shares a laugh with Mikki Buentello, center, and Kaliegh Cuervo, two battered women who were staying there in October to escape their abusers. The two have since left the shelter. Island Crafters RICHARD AMBO | The Honolulu Advertiser Looking for holiday PROBATION PROGRAM Women emerge from ordeal stronger Cutouts of pledges by students crafts ideas? Kathy with a focus on finding success saying how they would make America a better country were Goo’s blog is sure to get SEEING ABUSERS CHANGE sent to Pearl Harbor Elementary those creative juices BY ROB PEREZ Advertiser Staff Writer School yesterday. STORY | A2 flowing. Share your BY ROB PEREZ bation program for domestic Denby Lee Toci was stuck in an abusive rela- discoveries and Advertiser Staff Writer violence offenders, sex questions at tionship for 17 years. She tried leaving her husband It was his sixth criminal abusers and drug offenders. several times, but always came back, partly out of HONOLULUADVERTISER.COM conviction since 2003, and The innovative program, fear and partly because she wanted to keep her /BLOGS Joe Kop faced up to five years which has received national family intact. She also held out hope that her hus- 5 convicted in prison for grabbing his attention for its promising re- band’s abusive behavior would stop. wife by the neck and threat- sults thus far, requires strict That all changed in 2000. ening to stab her with a monitoring of each proba- Toci returned home one day to find her four kids in probe of TO SUBSCRIBE, CALL 538-NEWS kitchen knife. tioner. At the first sign of a crying, terrified at what more their father might But at the sentencing, Cir- probation violation, the con- do. Her 5-year-old son was huddled in a corner, ★ gaming ring 7 sections, 52 pages cuit Judge Steven Alm de- vict is put behind bars. Under shirtless, shaking in fear. He had welts on his back, Classifieds | F1-12 cided to give the Waiçanae the regular probation pro- left there by his father’s punishing hand. BY PETER BOYLAN Comics | E6 resident a break. gram, criminals historically That was the incident that prompted Toci to Advertiser Staff Writer Instead of putting Kop be- have suffered few conse- Crosswords | E2 leave her husband, who has a long criminal record, A federal wiretap investiga- hind bars in December 2006, quences for violations. and not look back. tion that began more than four Editorials | A8 Alm allowed the convicted years ago resulted in guilty ver- Movie ads | E5 felon to enter a special pro- SEE HOPE, A6 SEE SUCCESS, A7 dicts yesterday for five people Nation and World | A3 — including a former Honolulu Obituaries | B2 police officer — who were part of Stocks | C5-7 ON THE WEB THE SERIES Wednesday: Kids suffer from exposure an extensive criminal network TV listings | E3-4 to violence that helped set up and facilitate • Photo galleries: More pictures on the Sunday: The legal system fails many Thursday: illegal cockfights and gambling Weather | A4 homeless and domestic violence Military combating problems battered women at home on Oçahu’s North Shore. • Videos: See reports from The Advertiser © COPYRIGHT, 2008 Monday: Safety net plagued with gaps Yesterday: Following an eight-week trial and KGMB9 News Training lacking among Tuesday: Abuse a concern in immigrant professionals before U.S. District Judge Susan • Previous stories in this series communities Today: Many survivors overcome beatings Oki Mollway, a federal jury found At HONOLULUADVERTISER.COM/DOMESTICVIOLENCE Douglas Gilman Sr., 79, his sons Douglas Gilman Jr., 56, and William Gilman, 50, guilty of con- spiring to conduct an illegal gam-

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HAWAI‘I AND U.S. CROSSING THE LINE • ABUSE IN HAWAI‘I HOMES UNEMPLOYMENT RATES NOV. ’07 NOV. ’08 Hawai‘i 2.9% 4.9% U.S. 4.7% 6.7% Program turning lives around Hawai‘i U.S. 7 PERCENT 6 HOPE 5

4 CONTINUED FROM A1

3 So far, Kop has proved that 2 Alm made the right call in his case. 1 He has stayed out of trouble, 0 kicked his ice addiction and has NDJ FMAMJ J ASON a full-time job as a commercial 2007 2008 truck driver. His wife says he be- Rates are seasonally adjusted. came a different man once off drugs. Source: state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations “He’s a new person,” said Shawna Kop. “Without the drugs The Honolulu Advertiser and everything, it’s wonderful.” Kop credits the probation pro- gram, Hawaiçi’s Opportunity Pro- bation with Enforcement, or Jobless HOPE, with helping turn his life around. “I don’t ever want to see drugs CONTINUED FROM A1 again,” the 31-year-old father of est since October 1993, when it four children said in a recent in- stood at 6.8 percent. Michigan terview outside his Waiçanae had the country’s highest rate home. “I’ve got my head on at 9.6 percent, followed by straight now.” Rhode Island at 9.3 percent, HOPE, the brainchild of Alm, while Wyoming had the lowest has been around since 2004. Em- rate at 3.2 percent. phasizing swift and certain Hawaiçi’s rising jobless rate repercussions, it is designed to comes as no surprise as econ- reduce probation violations omists have predicted that the among domestic violence of- economy will continue to slow fenders and others who have a and unemployment will con- high risk of recidivism. tinue to climb through 2009. “If you’re going to change be- In his economic forecast for haviors, swift and certain con- First Hawaiian Bank, Hawaiçi sequences are going to do it,” Pacific University professor said Alm, a former U.S. attor- Leroy Laney last month pro- ney. jected an average 5.5 percent In the HOPE program, crimi- unemployment rate next year. nals are warned that if they miss But, he said yesterday, that a probation appointment or test “might even be a little low at dirty on random drug tests, this point.” they’ll be sent to jail almost im- “It’s just a reflection in econ- mediately, for at least a few days omy and it’s not surprising to for the first violation, longer for me to see it at that level and I subsequent ones. Because of do think that it will continue to Kop’s criminal record, he was rise,” Laney said. “Tourism has told that if he violated proba- been very weak and that’s re- tion just once, he would be back flected in various things, not in prison, serving his five-year just the visitor industry itself, term. but in retailing and in jobs that The criminals also have to call are directly and indirectly re- a hot line every weekday to lated to tourism.” learn if they report later that Just how bad the job market day for random drug testing. has become was evident Under the regular probation sys- Thursday and yesterday, when tem, they know as much as a thousands of people showed month ahead of time when they’ll be tested. For domestic violence of- “Tourism has been very fenders in the HOPE program, weak and that’s reflected in the probation violations fell dra- matically, mirroring what hap- various things ... in retailing pened with the broader popu- and in jobs that are directly lation of criminals in the pro- gram. And the longer they were and indirectly related to in the program, the better the tourism.” results. Missed appointments among LEROY LANEY | Hawaiçi Pacific University professor the 120 domestic abusers dropped 82 percent, while pos- itive urine tests plunged more up at the Target Corp. job fair than 90 percent, according to at the Hawaiçi Convention data through late May. Center. The retail giant is hold- “From the beginning, we’ve ing a four-day job fair to fill had these great results,” Alm said. 1,200 jobs at stores in Salt Lake “It’s just unbelievable numbers.” and Kapolei, which will open Joe Bloom, program director in March. for Catholic Charities Hawaiçi’s During the first two days of therapeutic services, applauds the fair, Target officials have the program for being fair and turned away ap- having quick consequences. He plicants before has sex offender clients in the the official start program. of the event be- “It’s got a lot of teeth,” Bloom cause so many said. “That’s what you need.” Photos by JEFF WIDENER | The Honolulu Advertiser Whether the program will hopefuls had Joe Kop sits outside his Waiçanae home with his wife, Shawna, whom he once threatened with a knife. Two years ago, Circuit Judge Steven Mad rush for change long-term behaviors, Target jobs showed up. Alm spared Kop from prison, allowing the convicted felon to enter a probation program called HOPE. Now, “he’s a new person,” Shawna says. Yesterday, once the criminals are off pro- continues. bation, remains to be seen. Watch at people were al- lowed to start “We sure hope so,” Alm said. SURE AND SWIFT HONOLULU One state study that looked ADVERTISER.COM lining up at 4 CONSEQUENCES a.m. and the at nearly 200 domestic violence Domestic violence offenders in a doors to the offenders from 2004 through special state probation program convention cen- 2007 found that nearly 40 per- cent had been re-arrested for have dramatically reduced their ter opened an hour later. By 7 positive drug tests and missed a.m., about 1,000 people had abuse of a family or household member by April 2007. That’s appointments with probation offi- entered the center and Target cers. The key to the program, told applicants outside that in the same range as national studies on recidivism. called Hawaiçi’s Opportunity Pro- they can return today or to- bation with Enforcement, or morrow when the fair resumed. In Kop’s case, he already had a criminal record, including two HOPE, is sure and swift conse- Rob Parke, Target district domestic abuse convictions, quences as soon as offenders vi- team leader, said about 25 per- when he was charged in July olate probation terms. Similar re- cent of the 1,200 positions were 2006 with first-degree terrorist sults were reported with sex and filled Thursday and he ex- threatening and two other drug offenders. A sampling of the pected the same amount of charges. After Kop was served domestic-violence results: jobs to be claimed yesterday. with a temporary restraining or- MISSED APPOINTMENT RATE “So going into (this) morn- der sought by his wife, he went ing, we’ll still have approxi- MONTHS NUMBER RATE to their Waiçanae home and, dur- IN PROGRAM OF CLIENTS REDUCTION mately half of our jobs open,” ing an argument, put a kitchen Parke said. knife to her cheek and threat- 3 120 82.1% He said Target officials were ened to cut her throat and stab 12 34 89.0% pleasantly surprised with the her heart, court records show. 24 8 94.7% turnout. At his sentencing hearing, Kop “Today was an unusually told Alm that his actions were POSITIVE URINALYSIS RATE large second-day turnout,” he inexcusable. said. “It’s very exciting. It con- Joe Bloom, program director for therapeutic services at Catholic Charities Hawaiçi, applauds the Hawaiçi’s MONTHS NUMBER RATE During an October interview, IN PROGRAM OF CLIENTS REDUCTION firms that this is the right place Kop said his behavior in 2006 Opportunity Probation with Enforcement program for its tough enforcement and fairness. for us to be, and it appears the was influenced by his ice ad- 3 120 91.5% community is as excited to have diction. Everyone he knew from lence,” Kop said. Some people, including karate they want and carry all 12 34 96.1% us here as we are to be here.” He said he is motivated to stay Catholic Charities’ Bloom, be- the mace they want, but until prison, he added, also had an ice 24 8 90% problem. straight because of his family and lieve Hawaiçi’s domestic violence men decide violence against because of the time he spent in problem will remain unresolved women is going to end, it’s not Reach Curtis Lum at 525-8025 “If you crack down on drugs, Source: State Judiciary or culum@honoluluadverti you would reduce a lot of prison. “It’s wild in there. It ain’t until men decide otherwise. going to end,” he said. “We’re ser.com. crimes, not just domestic vio- no place to be.” “Women can learn all the just not being held accountable.” • The Honolulu Advertiser Saturday, December 20, 2008 | A7

CROSSING THE LINE • ABUSE IN HAWAI‘I HOMES Finding success after struggles

Photos by JEFF WIDENER | The Honolulu Advertiser Since divorcing her abusive husband, Denby Lee Toci, 41, has accomplished many goals that she previously put on hold while trying to survive as a battered woman. Her story now gives hope to other abused women.

us victims of domestic violence ship with her high school sweet- said, he wouldn’t let her go to The women tended to Since ending that relationship, can come out OK and be able heart, who was 10 years older school, even though her dream Toci’s world has changed dra- Success to be loved again,” said Lynne and her first love. The two start- was to get a college degree and be resilient, matically for the better. With the Enriques, Toci’s boss and a for- ed dating when she was 16 and land a good job, like her sisters. resourceful, focused. help of her parents, she went merly battered woman herself. eventually married. One works for the Federal Re- CONTINUED FROM A1 back to school and obtained three The dozen or so other cases Toci said she left him several serve, another is a physician. They considered bachelor’s degrees in justice ad- Today, she manages the same The Advertiser found were sim- times during their relationship Despite the abuse, Toci tried themselves survivors, ministration, sociology and phi- domestic violence shelter in Hilo, ilar in many ways. but would end up returning, part- to save her marriage in part be- losophy. She’s also pursuing a Hawaiçi, where she fled with her The women tended to be re- ly because he would say he was cause she saw what her parents not victims. They came master’s degree in marriage and kids in 2000. Since divorcing silient, resourceful, focused. sorry and promised to change. had. They have been married family therapy. She eventually her husband, she also has ac- They considered themselves “They have a tendency to seduce more than 50 years. away from their landed a job as a domestic-vio- complished other goals that she survivors, not victims. They you with words,” Toci said. She also questioned how ordeals emotionally lence victim advocate, then got previously put on hold while came away from their ordeals She also said she stayed be- much the criminal justice sys- the shelter manager position in trying to survive as a battered emotionally scarred but strong cause he threatened to harm her tem could help her. “I hesitated scarred but strong August. Even her kids, who need- woman. enough to overcome the sys- or her family if she left. to call police many times,” Toci enough to overcome ed therapy because of the abuse, Toci’s story and those of tem’s many hurdles. Her ex-husband, who could said. “In the back of my mind, I are doing better, she said. many other formerly abused They also had dedicated ad- not be reached for comment, was thinking, ‘How much can the system’s many “Denby’s life has just blos- women serve as inspiring tales vocates who helped them navi- has nearly 20 convictions on his they really protect me?’ ” somed,” said Enriques, who that can give hope to other vic- gate the gaps. record, including terroristic Toci said her husband was hurdles. worked at the shelter when Toci tims. “I see little rays of hope,” said threatening, several domestic- very controlling, trying to dic- lived there. “She’s an achiever. Despite the many gaps in Deborah DeRoos, a Kauaçi non- abuse-related offenses and tate who she could see and She’s got that command of her- Hawaiçi’s domestic violence profit executive, speaking of the felony assault. Toci said they where she could go. At one self now.” safety net and the difficulties in successes she comes across got divorced while he was in point, the family was so destitute Enriques, 42, knows how chal- dealing with the criminal jus- when service providers work to- prison, and she obtained a 10- she had to go on welfare. lenging it was for Toci to turn tice system, success stories like gether to help survivors. year protective order against “My world was very small and her life around. She had to do Toci’s are not hard to find. Toci, 41, saw few rays of hope him. isolated,” Toci said. “I just en- the same thing. “She’s living proof that all of during her tumultuous relation- While they were together, she dured the relationship.” Enriques was in a 15-year re- lationship in her 20s and 30s with a boyfriend who regularly beat her. She suffered a broken nose, black eyes, broken ribs. Once, she said, he kicked her in the stomach while she was preg- nant with their child, and En- riques ended up having emer- gency surgery. Her unborn baby didn’t survive. After each attack, her boyfriend would apologize pro- fusely and try to make up with flowers. “Every time he would beat me, every time he would hurt me, I would get red roses,” she said. “To this day, I can’t stand red roses.” Today, Enriques is director for family and community pro- grams at Child & Family Ser- vice in Hilo. Women who have survived abusive relationships say leaving their abusers can be an ex- tremely difficult, even danger- ous process. But with the right help, in- cluding an effective exit plan, it can be safely done, they said. “I think it’s important that women know they can get out, that it can be OK,” said Kaliegh Cuervo, 36, who left an abusive marriage recently. “They should know that no matter how great the fear, no matter what the odds are, they can pick up the phone and change their life. “Yes, it will be difficult. Yes, it will be an uphill climb. But your life is worth so much more.”

Reach Rob Perez at rperez At the Windward Spouse Abuse shelter, domestic violence survivor Kaliegh Cuervo hugs a fellow resident. There is a close bond between staff and those hiding from their abusive @honoluluadvertiser.com or relationships. Cuervo, who recently left an abusive marriage, is under federal protection. She says it’s important for women to know they can get out of bad relationships and get help. 525-8054.