A 24-year-old Hilo man was charged with trespassing, reckless endangering and conducting illegal commercial activities in a natural area reserve for allegedly leading a tour group on state land to see the lava flow in Puna.
Joel D. Scharer Jr. was arrested for leading a tour group into the lava fields of the Kahaualea Natural Area Reserve on Wednesday, officials said. The Department of Land and Natural Resources closed the reserve because of the hazardous conditions caused by the lava flow.
The DLNR declined to say how many other tour groups Scharer may have taken into the area, since the case is still under investigation. A department spokeswoman also declined to say how many people were in the tour group.
"The safety of the public remains our top priority," said Carty S. Chang, interim DLNR director.
"Illegal commercial tours into areas closed by volcanic activity are dangerous to both the public as well as rescue responders. Violators will face citation or arrest."
Scharer is charged with second-degree trespass, a petty misdemeanor; second-degree reckless endangering; and prohibited entry into a natural area reserve and illegal commercial activities within the natural area reserve, both misdemeanors.
In December the state cited two other people, a 50-year-old man and a 23-year-old woman, on similar charges for allegedly leading illegal tours to see the lava in the forest reserve. The DLNR said an undercover operation led to those arrests.
On Jan. 29, Alexander Corey, 24, of Pahoa and Deven Schuster, 23, of Maryland got lost and had to spend the night in the reserve after returning from Kilauea Volcano’s Puu Oo Crater. The pair were cited four days later for entering a restricted area.
Established in 1987, the Kahaualea reserve consists of about 22,520 acres and is home to an endangered fern, Adenophorus periens.
