A fight for their lives
A fight for their lives Armed carjacking on Pi‘ilani Highway results in arrest of 35-year-old Christopher Helmer
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KAHULUI--An alleged armed car robbery that took place on June 4 at 7 p.m. on the isolated stretch of Pi'ilani Highway led the Maui Police Department (MPD) on a three day hunt to track down 35-year-old Christopher Helmer, who was then arrested on June 8 and detained without incident, according to police reports. Helmer was charged with 12 crimes relating to incidents that took place between June 3-4, including theft of a motor vehicle, carrying a loaded Glock 40 caliber semi-automatic firearm in public, terroristic threats, and promoting methamphetamine, according to charging documents. Four victims were listed in the charging documents, involving Helmer and a loaded Glock
The 12 charges were dismissed without incident on June 24 by District Court of the Second Circuit Judge Christopher Dunn in Wailuku, according to the county clerk's office. A new case was filed in circuit court against Helmer on June 25. The case information is redacted and not available to the public, according to court documents.
Helmer is still in police custody in Wailuku as of the morning of June 28 on prior felony charges. Helmer made an initial appearance in Circuit Court on the morning of June 28. The case has been sent to a lower court than the Second District Court to be heard.
Alex and Justina Lucero made a public statement about the alleged incidents on their band's social media platforms on June 19 as confirmed by the Maui News talking with Alex Lucero June 28, "Hey there,
My wife and I were robbed at gunpoint on Piilani Highway (Manawainui Gulch) Tuesday June 4th around 7:45pm while driving our rental car back to our hotel in Kihei from Hana.
The robber jumped out in front of our car pointing a gun at us and yelled to get out of the car, leave all valuables, keys and start walking back in the opposite direction.
He jumped in our car, started it, started driving off then quickly turned the car around speeding up to chase us down. We took cover behind a boulder on the ocean side of the highway out of sight. As he drove by slowly he yelled "show yourselves, I will find you". He counted down from 10 and then shot the gun off. We knew at that point we were not just victims of a traffic gun robbery but we were now being hunted and he looked to get rid of the witnesses.
He turned the car back around and started headed towards where he initially held us at gunpoint and as he made a three point turn to head back in our direction, we ran across the street, climbed up onto a bluff and started hiking up the mountain side. As we ran up the mountain running for our lives, we continued to look back and at some point there were three vehicles trying to find us slowly driving the same 1/2 mile stretch of highway. At some point they flew a drone up in the air but luckily for us they were looking on the ocean side of the highway and must not have expected we ever crossed the street.
After hiking for our lives through the night, morning and into the next day, around 6:30 p.m., we flagged down three tourists walking the access road at the Haleakala observatory. We hiked for nearly 24 hours for roughly 11 miles and from almost sea level to the peak at 10,000 feet. We were rescued by The Park Rangers who radioed for police to pick us up at headquarters a little ways down the road.
We were put into police custody and taken to the ER where we were held overnight with severe dehydration and high rabdo (myolysis) numbers. We managed to make our flight the next day and are now back home safe in California.
Christoper Helmer has been arrested by Maui PD and was the gunman/ criminal responsible for this crime. He was arrested on priors and warrants out for him while driving our rental car.
We want this story to be told not for our own publicity but because it has not been present in any of the media/ news channels, social media etc... and hope that this story can prevent anyone else having to endure the horrific experience we had."
According to court documents, Helmer also made terroristic threats on June 3 with the Glock 40 caliber to Kekoa Lansford, and Kalani Gonsalves prior to the June 4 incident with the Lucero's on June 3.
Residents in Hana were both confused and concerned by the news of the incident that took place on June 3-4 as the stories started to circulate on social media the last two weeks.
COMMUNITY RESPONSE
"We stopped taking our tours on that side recently," one tour guide said, who wanted to remain anonymous. He was leading a tour group on the Road to Hana. "It's become too dangerous with the drugs and all the stuff happening on that side."
"I just saw it on the news today and that's the first that I've heard of it," Edele told The Maui News on June 27. Adele is an employee at the Hasegawa General Store in Hana. "This morning when I saw it on the news, I thought--did this happen recently?"
Adele said, "It's really sketchy that way now. It's been worse with the kind of people that are in that area. It's so isolated, more than Hana. They can do anything and the police won't be there."
She added that now the story is out there, there needs to be more of a police presence in the area the incident took place.
"After this whole thing happened, the cops need to make their presence more out there," Adele said. "There here, but you don't really see them patrolling. My thing is that you should see them patrolling to Kaupo, wherever it ends (the road). And then from Hana to Ke'Anae. You should see a (patrol) car randomly on the road, but you don't."
Willie is the manager of the Hasegawa General Store. She heard about the incident from Facebook the night before.
"I didn't hear anything except through Facebook," Willie said, who manages the only general store in a 40 mile radius in Hana. "So a friend that used to live here in Hana sent me the page it was coming from ... My question was when did this happen? Is this old stuff or new stuff?"
Willie admits the incident is scary for the residents who live in the area.
"Yeah, it's scary, but I don't even recognize who this guy is," Willie said. "I saw his picture, but I don't know who he is."
Most of the residents who live in the Hana area and the communities south of Hana are very tight-knit. The Hasegawa General Store sees most of the residents who live in the area on a regular frequency. According to the worker there, these types of incidents have been becoming more frequent.
Down the road from the Hasegawa General Store is the roadside restaurant Hana Farms. It's a popular stop for tourists and locals alike who stop there after traversing The Road To Hana.
Asa-praise works at the Hana Farms gift shop. The incident is something she found out about as a local via Facebook as well.
"I was confused," Asa said of the incidents that took place between June 3 and 4. "When it came up on the news it was crazy. I haven't even met the guy that they caught...A lot of people go through the front and don't come through the back."
Willie's niece Lora, who was shopping in the general store as a customer, has heard of these kinds of things taking place recently.
"We've been hearing stories things like that always frequently happen," Lora said, who also works at the general store. "People get stopped in the middle of the road, they get run off the road, they get held at gunpoint. Things like that."
"We heard somebody share a story about following so close behind," Willie said. "And they were coming home to Hana and the car is braking and trying to force them off the road and stuff like that, but this guy we don't know."
POLICE RESPONSE
The Maui Police Department did not respond to The Maui News for information on the incident after multiple requests as of press time.
On June 7, the MPD posted a public assistance request on their Facebook page asking for, "the public's assistance in locating the depicted male as he wanted on outstanding warrants." A mugshot of Helmer was provided in the post three days after the incident, but no mention of the alleged carjacking was given to the public.
A CAREER CRIMINAL
Helmer has a myriad of criminal charges in Maui county dating back to when he was a minor in 2006. Helmer plead no contest to kidnapping, sexual assault, robbery, and terrorstic threats. Helmer was sentenced by Judge Joseph Cardoza to 8 years of incarceration after a jury trial, according to court documents.
Helmer was charged with several traffic violations from 2014 until 2016 when he was charged and convicted of felony assault in February of 2016 by Judge Blaine Kobayahi. In April of 2016, Helmer was charged and convicted of terroristic threatening. Helmer was released in May of 2016, according to court records.
On August 24, 2016, Helmer's girlfriend at the time was five months pregnant with twins when she and Helmer got into an argument at a Lanai City residence, Deputy County Prosecutor David Mincavage told The Maui News in 2019. After punching her in her cheek, Helmer placed her in a chokehold, causing her to feel lightheaded and nearly lose consciousness before he released her, Mincavage said.
The prosecution, defense, and 2nd Circuit Judge at the time – Richard Bissen – agreed to probation for Helmer despite his extensive prior criminal history. He was required to successfully complete a drug treatment program at that time and eventually relapsed and turned himself in.
At the time, Helmer's attorney, Jon Apo said it was "one of the most exceptional plea agreements I've been a part of."