Justina (left) and Alex Lucero (right) perform during one of their shows. The couple are professional musicians and were the alleged victims of an incident that took place on June 4. Courtesy photo

The Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope (pictured) atop Haleakala stands at 10,013 feet. Alex and Justina Lucero were found in the early morning hours of June 5 by a park ranger and three tourists visiting the site. The Maui News file photo

KAHULUI – Alex and Justina Lucero spoke with The Maui News about their life changing experience in an alleged carjacking that took place on June 4 in a remote stretch of highway on the backside of Haleakala. It resulted in what the Lucero’s say was a fight for their survival.

The Luceros were rescued in the early morning hours of June 5 and were eventually hospitalized as a result of their hike of 10,000 feet to the Haleakala Observatory. They say it was a forced hike in a desperate attempt seeking rescue from an armed assailant and accomplices that “hunted them with drones” after stealing their car at gunpoint.

After their story has made international news, the Luceros are frustrated by local official’s response and how they were treated throughout the ordeal that continues to play out in the Second Circuit Court and the Second District Court in Maui county.

On June 4, 35-year-old Christopher Helmer allegedly stole the Luceros rental Ford Mustang at gunpoint with a loaded Glock 40 caliber handgun, according to charging documents.

Christopher Helmer (pictured) has been charged with eight crimes stemming from an incident that took place on June 4. Photo courtesy MPD Facebook page

On June 24, 12 charges against Helmer stemming from the June 4 incident and another on June 3, involving two local residents, were dropped without prejudice and remanded from the Second District Court in Wailuku to the Second Circuit Court. On the same day, eight counts were brought up against Helmer in the second circuit court for the incident that took place on June 4.

Helmer is being held at the Maui Community Correctional Center in Wailuku on previous pending felony charges and his bail for the June 4 incident is set at $500,000, for which a hearing was held on Wednesday to determine if presiding Judge Michelle Drewyer will allow Helmer to post bail. Helmer’s bail for the previous felony charges is set at $250,000, according to court documents.

Helmer was initially being held on nine felony charges that were filed on May 30 for a separate incident that occurred between May 10-11. On June 10, Helmer pleaded not guilty to the nine felony charges and three misdemeanors in the separate case. The felony charges included three kidnapping felony counts.

If bail is granted on the case that took place on June 4, one of the conditions of bail – according to the order pertaining to bail – is that Helmer must report to the Maui Intake Service Center within 24-hours of his release.

Helmer plead not guilty to all eight counts related to the June 4 case on June 24 in the Second Circuit Court, which included – Robbery in the first degree, unauthorized control of a propelled vehicle in the first degree, carrying or use of firearm in the commission of a separate felony, ownership or possession prohibited, place or to keep pistol or revolver, carrying or possessing a loaded firearm on a public highway, alteration of identification marks, and promoting a dangerous drug in the third degree, according to court documents.

According to the criminal indictment in the June 4 case, “Helmer did wilfully alter, remove, or obliterate the name of the make, model, manufacturer’s number, or other mark of identity of any firearm or ammunition, to wit, a Glock Model 22 40 caliber semiautomatic pistol.”

From San Diego, the Luceros described the events that took place on June 4 on a remote stretch of highway on the back of Haleakala with The Maui News.

The Luceros

“We’re in a band and we had to cancel like 10 or 12 shows that were paid ticketed shows here in California,” Alex Lucero says of some of the lateral impact that has been had on his life since June 4. “Just because of everything that is still going on. We’re still trying to heal from it.”

Alex says that after the incident, there was an outpour of individuals reaching out privately, encouraging him to share what they experienced on June 4. They encouraged the Luceros to share with local news and social media platforms what they went through. It led the Luceros to share their story, they say.

It’s something they feel needs to be done, not just because of what happened that day, but because of the way things have been handled after the incident.

The Luceros are thankful to be alive, but most importantly they wanted people to be made more aware of what happened to them and how they have been treated in the aftermath.

“We were in this grave danger being hunted by this guy (Helmer) and a couple of his friends and had to hike 10,000 feet unknowingly in a matter of 22 and a half hours for our life and the minute that we are saved, we’re being interrogated like we did something wrong,” Alex Lucero said.

“I want to leave room for there to have been just a bit of communication error,” Justina says in retrospect of the day they were found. “But once we finally got with the medics – when we were sitting in the back of the police car and AMR is there, the medic comes out and just started yelling at me. At first I thought it was a joke. I couldn’t believe it. I’m sitting in the back of a cop car filthy, barefoot with a blanket on not having had rest in 22 plus hours running for my life, she starts berating me and telling me that they are not a taxi service. And that if I like to walk so much, I can walk myself to the emergency room.”

Justina says they were refused medical services when they were initially found and that the Luceros had to “convince the police to take them to the emergency room.” The Luceros were eventually admitted to the hospital and held overnight.

Alex and his wife Justina were found by three pedestrians at the Haleakala Observatory in the early morning hours of June 5. The three tourists retrieved a nearby park ranger, according to the Luceros.

“They were nothing short of wonderful human beings,” Alex said of the three tourists and the park ranger who the Luceros first stumbled upon after hiking through the night in a struggle for their lives. “The moment that we got into police custody, and were being almost interrogated by a specific sergeant who was making it like it was almost our,” Alex stops to name the specific individual he felt treated him and his wife like the perpetrators of a crime, rather than victims of a horrendous experience. The sergeant he names was just promoted to the rank of sergeant the year before.

He later says the police made the Lucero’s give their statement in the parking lot because police refused to take them to the police station. He says no photos were taken, no medics were called, and that two hours after being found at the observatory after being on the run for 22 and a half hours, they were told by a sergeant that, “you guys shouldn’t have been on that road anyway. Tourists aren’t allowed there and they should have told your car rental agency that the road is closed.”

Alex Lucero says he has attempted to reach out to the MPD several times since the incident.

“Since Monday of this week (the week of June 23-30) I have been reaching out to the police department because I haven’t got an update,” Alex says. “I hadn’t found out if they recovered any of our items, or our rental car.”

The only item the Luceros have managed to recover is a cell phone that was found on the beach.

“I had a phone that was recovered and turned in by a civilian just off the beach,” Alex says. “Totally random. They called the emergency contact that was on the phone and said they found it. It was an older lady with her grandkids at the beach.” He asked her if she wouldn’t mind taking it to the police department.

The phone was sent to California on June 27, according to Alex.

“They stole my guitar, they have both of our phones, they have our wallets, they have our credit cards, and all of my music equipment that was in the back of the car” Alex said. “We’ve had nothing short of a hard time and especially this week. Almost radio silence from the police department up until yesterday (June 27) when I was able to get through to Detective (Matt) Bigoss.”

The Luceros said he is the lead detective on their case, They were given “three or four” cards of other detectives who they have attempted to contact with no avail.

“For the past three or four days it has been nothing but voicemails,” Alex said. “I haven’t heard back anything from any of those people other than detective Bigoss.”

The Luceros said they don’t want any kind of attention from this, other than to let people know what happened to them, they said.

“We’re getting a lot of response from some Maui natives saying that there’s no way that this possibly happened and discrediting the story,” Justina said. “It was the scariest day of our lives. At some point my husband looked at me and said goodbye. We thought we were going to be shot. That feeling of being hunted is something that you don’t shake off very easily.”