February 28, 2026 News Read > Hawaii Free Press

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February 28, 2026 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 1:55 PM :: 153 Views

Election 2026: 178 Candidates Pull Papers to Run

HB1875: Hawaii to Become Sanctuary for Juvenile Sex Change

Washington’s Misplaced Shipbuilding Obsession

Hawaiian Electric Releases Full Year 2025 Results

61-Time Loser Finally Catches Federal Case--Gets 14 Years

Former Maui Police Officer Sentenced to 65 Months for Unjustified Tasing

Babykiller gets plea deal thanks to Hawaii Supreme Court and ACLU-may be out in 20 months

SA: … Travis Rodrigues, indicted in 2021 on second-degree murder in the killing of his 18-month-old daughter, Kytana Ancog, pleaded guilty Friday to the lesser charge of manslaughter in the Oahu Circuit Court.

(CLUE: This is Hawaii’s pathetic state judiciary at work.)

The 45-year-old, who initially confessed to the killing but later recanted, and his attorney, Walter Rodby, negotiated a plea deal with the state.

Rodrigues will be sentenced June 10 to 20 years in prison and a mandatory minimum of six years and eight months — agreed upon by the parties, and a fine of up to $50,000.

(CLUE: The minimum is the real sentence.)

(DO THE MATH: 6 yrs 8 mos – 5 yrs time served = 1 yr 8 mo left until minimum sentence is satisfied.)

After his arrest in 2021, he confessed to police to hitting and shaking the child and squeezing her chest until she was unresponsive, court documents said. A witness said Rodrigues appeared high on methamphetamine when he kicked and slapped the toddler and tried to give her a meth pipe.

Rodrigues said he placed her lifeless body in a duffel bag and left it in a vehicle driven by an acquaintance, Scott Michael Carter, who allegedly said he would “take care of it.”

(REALITY: Charges against Carter were dismissed in 2022. He was released. Body has not been found.)

The little girl’s mother, Ashley Ancog, told the Star-Advertiser by phone she has been in contact with the prosecutor’s office.

The 36-year-old said, “I’m hurt, I guess, because of the way things had to pan out because of the justice system. I agreed to the plea. There was a chance he could not get convicted.”

She said the prosecutor told her they did not have both an audio and video confession from him, a requirement that went into effect not too long ago, but was not in effect at the time of the initial confession.

“When they took his initial confession, they didn’t have both at the time. To my understanding, this is all we could bargain for. This is the best option. I didn’t know what else to do.”

Ancog is apparently referring to a September 2025 Hawaii Supreme Court decision in State v. Zuffante that held that “under the Hawaii Constitution’s due process clause, police must record all in-station custodial interrogations and record outside-the-station custodial interrogations ‘when feasible,’” a summary by the American Civil Liberties Union says.

The recording must be “‘simultaneous video and audio,’ and when a custodial interrogation is unrecorded and police cannot show infeasibility in an out-of-station setting, the Court held that the defendant’s statements are inadmissible.”

(TRANSLATION: Soft-on-Crime Hawaii Supreme Court and ACLU at work here. Babykiller will walk free soon.)

… Police arrested Rodrigues on Feb. 13, 2021, in Ko Olina. He has remained in custody since then, unable to post a $2 million bail. Since March 18, 2021, he has been held at the Halawa Correctional Facility.

Rodrigues, formerly known as Travis Heffelinger, previously served time in federal prison for felony drug and weapons convictions. He had been charged in a 2004 secret federal indictment, but was given a lesser sentence in May 2009 as part of a plea agreement for testifying in 2008 against another man. He also was convicted in state court for theft in 2004 and terroristic threatening in 2001.

(TRANSLATION: He is a police informant. HPD prioritized covering this up over finding Kytana Ancog.)

It was after the May 2009 sentencing that Travis Heffelinger changed his name to Travis Rodrigues ….

FLASHBACK: Lawsuit: HPD Slow to Activate Amber Alert to Cover-up Connection to Baby Killer

read … Father, who killed his 18-month girl in 2021, pleads to manslaughter | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Hawaii Attorney General issues more subpoenas in bribery case

KITV: … The Attorney General's office has issued more subpoenas in the case of possible public corruption….

The AG did not have a timeline for the completion of the case, but with the upcoming primary election said she understands the importance of wrapping it up quickly. And in two weeks, she will provide another update….

HNN: As attorney general investigates corruption, lawmakers (pretend to) consider raising bribery penalties -- The candidate filing deadline in early June and the primary election in August have been cited as significant dates in the context of the investigation’s timeline. Lopez said she will not identify the individuals under investigation….

read … Hawaii Attorney General issues more subpoenas in bribery case | News | kitv.com

Hawaii schools see 46% rise in English learners over a decade

KITV: … The number of English learners in Hawaii schools has surged by 46% over the past decade. Over 16,000 public school students are navigating their education without fluency in English, highlighting the diverse linguistic landscape in our community….

LINK: Strive-HI Performance

LINK: Per-Student expenditures by school

read … Hawaii schools see 46% rise in English learners over a decade | News | kitv.com

Current, former officers dodging court get served via newspaper ads

HNN: … The class action lawsuit centers on drivers who were pulled over, accused of driving under the influence, and taken to jail despite having no alcohol detected in their breath tests….

Retired Honolulu Police Department officer Darren Cachola and current HPD officer Kelsey Messmer are defendants in the civil case.

The first ad appeared Jan. 27, followed by additional notices on Feb. 3, Feb. 10, and Feb. 17. All four ads notified Cachola and Messmer to appear in court on March 24….

Multiple other defendants in the civil case — including the city and county of Honolulu and other police officers — were served last year. Cachola and Messmer have avoided service since July….

The ACLU said in a court filing that it has spent more than $4,000 attempting to serve the pair, along with an additional $176.68 in post office mailings. Court filings include pictures of more than a dozen certified mail packages sent to addresses associated with Cachola and Messmer that were returned undeliverable….

Trial for the class action DUI lawsuit is scheduled for May 2027….

read … Current, former officers dodging court get served via newspaper ads

Honolulu City Council tinkers with affordable rentals ordinances (again)

SA: … Introduced on Feb. 11 by Council Vice Chair Andria Tupola, Bill 18 proposes amendments to the Revised Ordinances of Honolulu that govern affordable rental housing.

Known as Chapter 32, those laws allow relaxed development standards and financial incentives for affordable rental projects as long as a minimum of 80% of the dwelling units are rented to those earning no more than 100% of Honolulu’s area median income for a minimum of 15 years, city officials say….

According to state data, 100% AMI means an annual income of $90,500 for one person, or $129,300 a year for a family of four.

If approved, these projects, referred to as Bill 7 projects because of the original 2019 bill for an ordinance that created Chapter 32, proceed directly to the building permit process, the city asserts.

But in spite of some successes, Bill 7 projects have received flak from critics concerned over the projects’ overall slowness to develop….

read … Honolulu City Council mulls affordable rentals measure | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Too Big To Untangle? The Legal Fight for Hawaiian’s Future

SF: … Loyal passengers of beloved carrier Hawaiian Airlines are back in court, attempting to untangle the Hawaiian and Alaska Airlines merger, basing their case on the belief that promises have been broken as part of the airlines' sale. They are asking a judge to intervene and suggest that Hawaiian Airlines remains as a standalone airline….

HNN: Lawsuit claims Hawaiian-Alaska Airlines merger creates monopoly on Hawaii flights - YouTube

read … Too Big To Untangle? The Legal Fight for Hawaiian’s Future

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