Maui man serving time for carjacking, sentenced to additional 10-years in prison for kidnapping, terroristic threatening

Maui resident Christopher Steven Helmer, 37, was sentenced today to a 10-year prison term for kidnapping, terroristic threatening, and related firearms and drug offenses, with the term ordered to run consecutively to a prison sentence he is already serving for a separate armed carjacking.

Combined, Helmer will now serve a 20-year indeterminate term of imprisonment, the County of Maui Department of the Prosecuting Attorney announced.

“I would like to thank our hardworking deputies and the detectives at the Maui Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Division whose diligent work in apprehending and prosecuting this defendant ensures that our citizens are safe from his dangerous and violent conduct,” said County Prosecuting Attorney Andrew Martin in a news release. “This sentence reflects our department’s unwavering commitment to holding violent offenders fully accountable and to keeping Maui County safe.”

The sentence was handed down by 2nd Circuit Judge Michelle L. Drewyer, following the prosecution’s motion for consecutive terms of imprisonment. Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Ronson S. Ibarra represented the prosecution in the case.

The case stems from an incident in May 2024, when Helmer held his then-girlfriend against her will and threatened her life over the course of a night and the following day at a property in Honokōhau Valley, according to court records. Helmer pointed a rifle at the victim, drove her to a remote, secluded area and repeatedly threatened to kill her, court records show. The victim was eventually able to reach family and friends for help and was safely recovered.

Helmer was arrested on May 11, 2024, on charges of kidnapping and terroristic threatening in the first degree before being released after posting a bond. A Maui County grand jury later indicted him on the same charges, and a warrant was issued for his arrest.

On April 24, 2026, Helmer pleaded guilty to kidnapping, terroristic threatening in the first degree, multiple counts of prohibited possession of a firearm and promoting a dangerous drug in the second degree.

Authorities say that while Helmer was evading the outstanding warrant in the kidnapping case, a California couple visiting Maui reported that Helmer carjacked the visitors at gunpoint on Piʻilani Highway near Haleakalā on June 3, 2024, stealing their vehicle. The victims reported fleeing on foot and hiding as Helmer searched for them, firing at least one shot, before the couple hiked through the night toward the summit of Haleakalā, where they were found by hikers and park rangers nearly 24 hours later. Maui Police Department detectives from the Criminal Investigation Division, working with Vice, Special Response Team, and Patrol units, located and arrested Helmer within days.

In February 2026, Helmer was convicted in that case of robbery in the second degree, unauthorized control of a propelled vehicle in the first degree, as well as related firearms and drug charges, and was sentenced to a 10-year prison term.

At today’s hearing, the prosecution asked the court to impose the 10-year kidnapping sentence consecutively to the 10-year carjacking sentence, arguing that Helmer’s history of violent conduct and the seriousness of his crimes warranted his extended removal from the community. The court agreed, resulting in a combined 20-year indeterminate prison term.