The Honolulu Star-Advertiser yesterday reported two items that hinted at the underlying stories, but failed to provide key details.
One story dutifully reported that the road from Hanauma Bay around to the Blow Hole will be closed during the nights for a week because of a scheduled movie shoot.
According to the story, state transportation department officials “did not say which film production was using the roads.”
At this point, though, it appears to be no secret. Sony Pictures is in town filming for the new Amazon series based on the 1997 movie, “I know what you did last summer.” I has been reported filming began this week. One Sony exec was quoted earlier saying the new series is “a perfectly twisted update to the iconic slasher movie.”
Also somewhat twisted is word Sony will also be filming at the 8,206 sq ft Hawaii Kai mansion owned by Michael Miske, the former Honolulu businessman now held at the Federal Detention Center in Honolulu pending trial for racketeering, murder, kidnapping, drug dealing, and other crimes.
How much Sony is paying for use of the house, which sits on more than 3/4 acre on Lumahai Street in the Portlock area, overlooking Spitting Cave, is not known. Federal prosecutors have already declared the Lumahai house as one of several properties they will seek to seize if Miske is convicted, because it was allegedly built using illegal profits from Miske’s racketeering organization.
It isn’t really surprising that Miske might still have friends in the movie business. He was reported to be a member of the Teamsters Local representing drivers for movie and television productions, as were co-defendants John Stancil (Miske’s half-brother) and Harry Kauhi, while Norman Akau, another co-defendant in the racketeering case, was at the time of their arrests listed as a board member of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE Local 665), representing stage hands on movie sets and other venues. In addition, Miske was a former business partner and associate of Jon T. Dahl, a self-described “Transportation Captain” on features and TV shows, and owner of two equipment and truck rental companies serving the movie industry.
A second Star-Advertiser story reported Honolulu Police seized more than a dozen gambling machines, along with cash and drugs, in a raid on two illegal game rooms in Kakaako on Wednesday night, January 27. The location was described as in the 900 block of Queen Street.
Arrest logs show 29-year old Nicole Baker was arrested at 980 Queen Street for promotion of gambling and possession of gambling devices. Court records indicate she has not yet been charged.
45-year old Ethan Tanudra was arrested at the same address, and on the same charges, back on October 15, 2020.
At that time, police also raided another game room across the street at 975 Queen Street.
Real property records show the property at 980 Queen Street is owned by Butch Burke, who previously operated Queen Auto Sales at the same location. The property was transferred to Burke via quitclaim deed in December 2019 for $600,000. Burke signed the deed for the seller, Theodore Yutaka Uyeda, under a power of attorney created a few days before, and for himself as the buyer.
Both locations are just down the block from the former Kamaaina Termite and Pest Control office at 940 Queen Street, which prosecutors allege served as the center of the criminal enterprise controlled and directed by Miske.
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So are reporters 1) lazy 2) can’t follow the dots 3) told to dig no deeper 4) on the take 5)?
I wonder if Butch has a criminal record?
Great article … although I wish I hadn’t googled Butch Burke. Now I’ve wasted a perfectly good hour when I should’ve been attending to household chores.
Ok, now I am grasping the full scope of possible connections- so many questions gone unasked (so it seems as editor’s chop block could have participated) in the newsprint pieces – grateful for your journalism and standard. We need more Ian Linds out there in the world of journalism-
Right? Are the next gen of reporters not given the skills to do proper research or draw lines between the dots? No wonder people don’t subscribe to the Advertiser like they used to.
No wonder no one a) believes the news b) buys our local newspaper c) newspapers are failing.
Thank you for filling in VERY important segments of the news. I hope you keep doing this.
Stories online and in the newspapers are never followed up upon and or just forgotten.
Ed
But wait…beat up the SA for not digging into more about a story that only they reported on?? Where are all the other media?? Too busy likely covering brush fires and heavy traffic and weather stories? AND what about Civil Beat?? They have nearly as many news reporters as the SA.
It’s not like these were enterprise stories.
All of the Miske gang were drivers on movie sets. Their connections are apparently still good at Sony. That money will help Miske pay for lawyers and will give his gang legal access to the property to remove any evidence the feds didn’t find.
https://www.yelp.com/biz/queen-auto-honolulu
Yelp reviews for Queen Auto sales are very negative with quotes such as :
Butch is very explosive, violent, and deceiving. His patience and empathy are non existent. He even threatened me with a gun that he said he has many. I just cut my losses rather than deal with him. It wasn’t worth it at that point.
There is illegal activity happening all over his property. Selling of crystal meth. I’ve witnessed it there first hand. Butch playing card games for cash with his friends and at anytime you can walk into his office you see it filled with cigarette smoke.
There are many suspicious people loitering and doing work for Butch as he belittles and yells at them the same way he does to his customers.
I think we should be careful with expectations when critiquing the Star Advertiser. These are not the same newspaper as yesteryear. They have closed up so much of their operation and like many newspapers , the future is grim.
Danno makes a good point. If it weren’t for the SA reporting on the those 2 stories none of you would have even known to bitch about not knowing more. No other media even reported on those two items.
I saw both stories on broadcast news, HNN I think. From the same press releases?
But if true, why not include HNN in your criticism? Queen St raid issued a press release?
I’ve had a really bad experiences with Butch Burke and Kumiko Burke. I also know some other people who also had the similar experience with them. They are scam. If you are naive and innocent they’ll take everything away from you. Money monsters!!!