HAWI — At the gate to the Kohala Crawfish Farm sits a sign reading, “‘a‘ole pilikia” — no problem. During the past several years, owner Lance Caspary has hosted tenants at the property and it’s been mostly just that.
But the 20-acre property situated north of Hawi became the site of an hourslong standoff Monday after a woman allegedly shot a gun as the property owner was leaving the area that morning. The incident came days after the property owner told the woman, Britney Wolf, and a significant other to leave after a guest on the property alleged Wolf assaulted her.
Wolf, who faces an attempted murder charge, and Lucas Wolf were arrested Monday. Lucas Wolf was charged Wednesday morning with second-degree terroristic threatening, accomplice to first-degree terroristic threatening, accomplice to first-degree reckless endangering and firearms-related charges. His bail was set at $26,000.
In addition to attempted first-degree murder, Britney Wolf was charged Wednesday afternoon with fourth-degree criminal property damage, use of a firearm in the commission of a separate felony, two counts each of first-degree terroristic threatening and first-degree reckless endangering, and three counts each of two other firearm-related charges. Her bail was set at $303,000.
Both remain in police custody pending an initial appearance in Kona District Court this morning.
Looking to help ‘handsome’ couple
Caspary, 56, has hosted long-term tenants at the property since the planned Ho‘ea Agricultural Park “was killed by bureaucrats,” he said.
He has seven residences on the property and also hosts campers and short-term agricultural workers.
The Wolfs, Caspary said, first came to him about three or four months ago looking for a place to stay. Caspary told them he was full and couldn’t accommodate them. Instead, he tried to help the man and woman, whom he described as a “handsome, nice couple,” by setting Lucas Wolf up with a demolition job on the property initiated by Caspary’s business partner who recently died.
Caspary said Lucas Wolf finished the job competently and on time, but the landowner repeatedly told the couple he didn’t have a place on the property for them to homestead. He and the couple later made an agreement in which they would work four hours a week in exchange for staying there.
In the meantime, he said, the Wolfs camped out in a truck. They weren’t paying rent nor was there a rental agreement.
Throughout the vast majority of their stay, he said, the couple kept up a positive attitude.
“They were sweet,” he said. “And they were kind and they were loving.”
Bizarre encounter
The problems began Friday when Caspary came home to two campers who were “highly distraught.”
One camper, Caspary said, alleged that Britney Wolf assaulted her.
“And it was such a bizarre story that they told me,” he said, describing a story that referenced God, devils, witches and a “holy war.”
After he listened to the story and tried to calm down his guests, he went down to where the couple was staying.
When he got there, he said, he was startled to see a fence had been started across a perimeter road on the property, along with animal pens, a trailer and two more vehicles.
He didn’t see Britney Wolf there, he said, but Lucas Wolf emerged from the truck.
Wolf appeared hostile and confrontational, Caspary said, with his fists at his sides and chin down. Caspary said he tried to ask what happened.
“From the get-go, there was no conversation,” he said.
Lucas Wolf, Caspary said, then repeatedly questioned the man if he had “embraced the lord,” before launching into a speech about being “holy warriors” and “witnesses for God” who were “down here fighting demons and witches.”
“And I’m like, well, I’m sorry but you can’t do that here,” Caspary said. “We don’t do that here. We don’t do jihad. You need to take that on the road; you can’t do that here.”
After more attempts to turn the conversation to the alleged assault, Caspary said, he told Lucas Wolf that they had to leave.
Caspary thought it was done, he said, adding there was no conversation after that and he gave them a couple of days to get their belongings together.
Shots and standoff ensue
Monday morning, Caspary went to check on the Wolfs and was not surprised they were still around.
When Lucas Wolf exited the truck, Caspary said, he was “even more hostile” this time.
Figuring there wasn’t going to be any conversation, Caspary started moving back toward his vehicle thinking about what to do next when a door to the couple’s truck opened.
Britney Wolf, he said, then allegedly got out of the truck, handgun in hand, shouting obscenities and threats. Police said later that a search of the vehicle turned up a shotgun, a rifle, a semi-automatic pistol, ammunition and spent casings.
Caspary pulled out his phone, got in his truck and was backing up when, he said, the woman fired the weapon. He immediately dialed 911, he said.
Caspary said he then returned home, where he stayed throughout the ensuing standoff.
There, he tended to his coffee and fielded phone calls from friends and his tenants who had to leave their homes while police worked to resolve the situation.
Still stunned, but getting back to normal
At the scene, the Hawaii Police Department’s Special Response Team responded and crisis negotiators were eventually able to communicate with the woman in the car.
The woman allegedly fired two more gunshots during the incident, police said in a release.
At 5:11 p.m., police said, the woman surrendered and was arrested without further incident.
Lucas Wolf, police said, was located earlier on foot.
Days later, Caspary said he’s still feeling the adrenaline. The most alarming and disquieting thing, he said, is “how this sweet, beautiful young girl turned into this screaming profanity-filled ideologue spouting all this Christian psychosis,” comparing it to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
“I’m just so glad there was no blood. I was afraid she was going to get shot,” he said. “I didn’t want her to get hurt.”
Email Cameron Miculka at cmiculka@westhawaiitoday.com.
