A 48-year-old man accused of stalking two University of Hawai'i-Manoa female students from Japan pleaded not guilty to charges yesterday at District Court.

Eldon Paul Cox, who listed no permanent local address at his booking, was charged Tuesday with misdemeanor first-degree criminal trespassing and petty misdemeanor harassment following his arrest by East Honolulu Crime Reduction Unit officers at 700 Ke'eaumoku St. at 9:40 p.m.

Cox's bail totals $3,000.

Cox is scheduled for trial Feb. 6 in District Court.

Prosecutors, meanwhile, plan to file a motion today in Circuit Court seeking revocation of Cox's probation and resentencing for unrelated criminal offenses.

According to Hawai'i Criminal Justice Data Center records, Cox has 18 convictions between March 2004 and July 2006, including three for felony offenses. His probation was revoked twice in July 2006.

Fluent in Japanese, Cox allegedly followed the two students Saturday from Ala Moana Center to UH's Hale Noelani dormitory at 8:30 p.m. The students said he refused to leave but did so after a roommate came home.

SUPERFERRY CANCELS SERVICE FOR TODAY

Hawaii Superferry yesterday announced it has canceled its service for today. The company said the ferry's auxiliary rudders need to be repaired. The company identified the problem while the ferry was docked due to inclement weather. Service is expected to resume tomorrow.

The Superferry has been plagued by cancellations since it resumed service last month, due mostly to rough seas.

Passengers booked on today's voyages will be contacted directly by Hawaii Superferry to make alternative arrangements.

The company's reservations center at 877-443-3779 is open daily 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Hawai'i time.

CRITICAL FALL ONTO H-1 CLOSES LANES

Police last night closed H-1 Freeway's westbound lanes near the Liliha overpass for about an hour after a man fell onto the freeway, suffering critical injuries.

The freeway was closed at 7:19 p.m. and reopened about 8:30 p.m. The man was taken to The Queen's Medical Center.

Traffic was diverted off the freeway at the School Street and Vineyard off-ramps. The Punchbowl, School Street and Lunalilo Street westbound on-ramps to H-1 were closed.

Earlier yesterday, a 32-year-old woman died of injuries suffered in a 3:45 a.m. fall onto the H-1 Freeway's westbound lanes near Halona Street in Kalihi.

FIREFIGHTERS KEEP EYE ON BRUSHFIRE

Firefighters last night were monitoring a brushfire in Makakilo that was not seen as posing an immediate threat to homes.

The fire was on a hillside across from a gulch on Wainohia Street and began about 6:30 p.m., department spokesman Capt. Earle Kealoha said.

Darkness and rough terrain prevented the firefighters from reaching the fire.

Kealoha said at 9:45 p.m. that the fire had burned about five acres.

Kealoha said firefighters will assess the situation at sunrise and will likely use the HFD helicopter for water drops.

COAST GUARD AIDS INJURED MAN

A Coast Guard rescue air crew took an injured man from a cargo vessel about 12 miles south of O'ahu yesterday to a Honolulu hospital.

A Coast Guard flight mechanic aboard a rescue helicopter from Air Station Barbers Point hoisted the 28-year-old man from the Norwegian-flagged motor vessel Taronga at about 6 a.m.

The man, suffering from a broken knee, was flown to Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point and then taken to The Queen's Medical Center.

POLICE SETTING UP CHECKPOINTS

Honolulu police will set up impaired-driver checkpoints at unannounced times and places through the Super Bowl weekend — Friday through Sunday — and Pro Bowl weekend, Feb. 8-10.

Police reported arresting 3,861 impaired drivers in the 12-month period from Oct. 1, 2006, to Sept. 30, 2007.

Under the federal "52/12" sobriety checkpoint program, police have conducted at least one sobriety checkpoint every week since September 2007 and plan to do so through Sept. 30, 2008.