-
- Friday, July 10, 2009
- Back Issues
- Mobile Edition
- RSS
- Traffic
- Place My Ad
- Obituaries
- Contact Us
- Travel
-
- Classifieds
- Cars
- Jobs
- Homes
Search
Blogs
Reader Poll 
Most Read
- Woman falls ill after win at casino
- Salon workers pursue duo that stole their van
- Aloha in the desert
- Revenue drop heightens Lingle's call for labor cuts
- ‘Dangerous’ double-threat
- Ilikai employees fear for future
- Hannemann says mayors and unions have a deal
- Isle developers consider impact of 'Great Recession'
- Retail nomad
- El Nino conditions return to the Pacific
- Pacific Wings shuts operations in spat with DOT
Newsletter
Pflueger pleads not guilty
The state is trying to avoid responsibility in the Ka Loko Dam break, his lawyer says
POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Jan 07, 2009
LIHUE » Retired auto dealer James Pflueger pleaded not guilty yesterday via a video conference in Circuit Court, continuing to deny culpability in the Ka Loko Dam flood that killed seven people in 2006.
![[Preview]](http://media.starbulletin.com/images/video_front.gif)
Pflueger Pleads Not Guilty In Kaloko Dam Case ![[Preview]](http://media.starbulletin.com/images/20090107_Pflueger-Arraignment.jpg)
He's accused of being reckless in the way he modified the Kaloko reservior, which failed in 2006 after heavy rains, killing seven people downstream.
[ Watch ]
However, the fiery Pflueger said he will be ready for trial, set for June 15, and emphatically answered a number of questions explained by his lawyer, William McCorriston.
His lawyers were also fiery, saying the state is trying to pin the blame on Pflueger to avoid its own culpability in the dam breach.
Pflueger owns the property under the dam and has been accused of filling in an emergency spillway, causing the breach in heavy rains.
"Jimmy and I look forward to meeting these charges with the evidence that will show that he was not the person responsible for the dam failure," McCorriston told reporters after the hearing.
David Minkin, Pflueger's other attorney, said they will also revisit motions to remove Attorney General Mark Bennett from handling the case.
In November, Pflueger's attorneys argued that Bennett had a conflict of interest in the case.
Valenciano said at the hearing in November that the motions to disqualify Bennett were premature, since Pflueger had not been indicted.
Mark Miyahara, state deputy attorney general, would not comment on the case.
In December, Pflueger was indicted by a grand jury on seven counts of manslaughter and one count of reckless endangerment. If convicted, he could face 20 years for each manslaughter charge, and five years for the reckless endangerment count.
LIHUE » Retired auto dealer James Pflueger pleaded not guilty yesterday via a video conference in Circuit Court, continuing to deny culpability in the Ka Loko Dam flood that killed seven people in 2006.
Pflueger Pleads Not Guilty In Kaloko Dam Case He's accused of being reckless in the way he modified the Kaloko reservior, which failed in 2006 after heavy rains, killing seven people downstream.
[ Watch ]
However, the fiery Pflueger said he will be ready for trial, set for June 15, and emphatically answered a number of questions explained by his lawyer, William McCorriston.
His lawyers were also fiery, saying the state is trying to pin the blame on Pflueger to avoid its own culpability in the dam breach.
Pflueger owns the property under the dam and has been accused of filling in an emergency spillway, causing the breach in heavy rains.
"Jimmy and I look forward to meeting these charges with the evidence that will show that he was not the person responsible for the dam failure," McCorriston told reporters after the hearing.
David Minkin, Pflueger's other attorney, said they will also revisit motions to remove Attorney General Mark Bennett from handling the case.
In November, Pflueger's attorneys argued that Bennett had a conflict of interest in the case.
Valenciano said at the hearing in November that the motions to disqualify Bennett were premature, since Pflueger had not been indicted.
Mark Miyahara, state deputy attorney general, would not comment on the case.
In December, Pflueger was indicted by a grand jury on seven counts of manslaughter and one count of reckless endangerment. If convicted, he could face 20 years for each manslaughter charge, and five years for the reckless endangerment count.
Today’s Edition
- El Nino heralds more isle storms
- Federal-local teams seize 237 fugitives across state
- School board curtails labor costs in budget
- BOE delays decision on whether to close 5 libraries
- Mayors, unions hatch a pact and ask governor to join talks
- Laying off state workers will not be quick or easy
- Airline to resume flights cut in dispute
- Stabbing called self-defense
- Man not guilty in assault case
- Attorney general OK'd to stay in Pflueger trial
- Late notice generates lane-closure headaches
- Neighbor Islands
- Police / Fire
- Island Images
- MGMT cool sounds will rock the isles
- Jump Offs hope gig will be a jump start
- "ICONS1" sequel joins five other movies at "Surf Film" fest
- Deadbeats stepping lively at The Loft
- Stories to da max at Talk Story conference
- 'Entourage' hits its stride
- Movie-stage trend sticks for DHT
- In The Mix: King of cheesecake holds court in Chinatown store
- Nightclubs
- Island Mele: Song salutes emperor
- On The Scene
- By The Glass: Perfect time to try Syrah wines
- Editor's Picks
- Pet Ohana: Shelter keeps animals as long as possible
- Got nutrients?
- Sydner big on punt returns
- Kapaa lineman joins 2010 recruiting class
- Choi leads drama-filled Open
- Further Review: No shame in stuffing the ballot box for Shane
- Hawaii Beat
- Scoreboard
- Television & Radio
insideStarBulletin.com
