A four-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion is headed toward trial after prosecutors accused her of repeatedly punching an off-duty Maui police lieutenant during a neighborhood dispute that began over baby ducks.
Hawaii News Now reporter Chelsea Davis reported that Penny Thomas, 46, pleaded not guilty in court after being charged with third-degree assault, a misdemeanor, in connection with the April confrontation in Pukalani.
Thomas, a fourth-degree black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, is accused of striking Maui Police Lt. Jan Pontanilla several times in the face outside Pontanilla’s home.
The allegation has drawn attention because of Thomas’ experience in combat sports. A person trained at that level is not just someone who has attended a few self-defense classes; years of discipline, technique, and control are normally expected to come with a high-ranking black belt.
But Thomas has denied the charge, and the case has not been decided in court. Her not-guilty plea means prosecutors will have to prove what happened during the argument and whether her conduct met the legal standard for assault.
A Court Appearance and a Not-Guilty Plea
Davis reported that Thomas appeared before Judge Christopher Dunn on Thursday but did not speak during the hearing.
Her attorney, Erik Johnson, entered the plea for her.
“Enter a not guilty plea and invoke her right to a jury,” Johnson told the court, according to Hawaii News Now.
Thomas is currently out on $1,000 bail and is due back in court next week.
The charge she faces is assault in the third degree. Davis said Thomas was initially arrested for assault against a police officer, but prosecutors filed the misdemeanor charge because Lt. Pontanilla was off duty at the time of the alleged attack.
That legal detail is important. The allegation involves an officer, but it did not happen during a traffic stop, arrest, or official police call. According to the report, the confrontation unfolded in a residential setting near the officer’s home.
Dispute Started With Baby Ducks
The conflict reportedly began when Pontanilla’s mother, Diane Pontanilla, spoke to Thomas’ daughter about handling baby ducks outside the family’s home.
Diane told Davis that she noticed the child had been feeding or handling the ducks and wanted to warn her that newborn ducks were fragile.
“I said, ‘Were you folks, were you the kids that were handling the baby ducks the day before?’” Diane recalled. “I said, ‘Okay, just to let you know that they’re weak, they’re newborn, and that the mama may abandon them if you carry them and they may die.’”
According to Diane, the girl appeared to take the message calmly and simply replied, “Okay.”
Diane said she believed the conversation had ended without a problem. About 45 minutes later, however, she said Thomas drove up and began yelling at her.
“This lady pulls up with her car and she’s screaming and swearing at me, ‘Who the F do you think you are,’” Diane told Davis.
Arguments involving children and animals can become emotional very quickly, even when one person believes they are simply offering advice. But the version described by the Pontanilla family suggests the initial conversation was brief and not meant as a threat.
The full context of what Thomas believed happened remains unclear from the report. Thomas and her attorney declined an on-camera interview with Hawaii News Now, so the public has not yet heard a detailed account from her side beyond the not-guilty plea.
Officer Allegedly Punched Repeatedly
The Pontanilla family said Jan Pontanilla heard the shouting and ran outside in an effort to calm Thomas down.
According to Jan’s father, Andy Pontanilla, the encounter then became physical.
“She turned around, and from there, the lady swung,” Andy told Davis. He said Thomas allegedly first struck his daughter in the temple with her right hand.
Andy said Thomas then allegedly hit Jan on the other side of the face with her left hand before striking her again with the right hand.
He said his daughter tried to de-escalate the confrontation and told Thomas, “Calm down. I am a police officer.”
According to Andy’s account, Thomas responded immediately by saying she did not care that Jan was a police officer, then allegedly swung again.
Those claims are serious, but they remain allegations. A trial would allow both sides to present testimony, evidence, and any other details that could explain the confrontation.
Still, the idea of a trained martial artist allegedly punching someone multiple times in the face has a different weight than an ordinary neighborhood shove or a single impulsive strike. Training does not automatically make every punch a weapon, but it can affect how people see the seriousness of the force used.
A Family Says the Incident Left Lasting Fear
Diane Pontanilla told Hawaii News Now that the incident has stayed with her.
“I still have sleepless nights because of this incident,” she said. “I can still see her face. Her eyes looking at me down.”
Her comments show that the case is not being viewed by the family as a simple disagreement that ended once police arrived. They say the confrontation has continued to affect them emotionally.
Andy Pontanilla also criticized Thomas’ alleged conduct in light of her standing in jiu-jitsu.
“She’s a disgrace to the art of jiu-jitsu,” he said. “All those training went down the drain.”
He added that a martial arts instructor should be disappointed if a student uses training in a violent way outside the proper setting.
That criticism reflects a common belief within martial arts communities: skill should come with restraint. Brazilian jiu-jitsu is often taught as a way to control an aggressor, protect oneself, and avoid unnecessary harm, not as permission to dominate an argument.
Of course, no sport or discipline can guarantee how an individual person will behave. But when someone has spent years learning control, a public allegation of uncontrolled violence can damage more than one person’s reputation. It can also raise hard questions about the values connected to the sport itself.
Why the Off-Duty Status Matters
Thomas was arrested for assault against a police officer, but Davis reported that prosecutors filed a lower-level misdemeanor charge because Pontanilla was not on duty.
That does not mean the accusation is minor. Third-degree assault is still a criminal charge, and a conviction can carry serious consequences.
But the off-duty status changes the legal framing. The central issue is not whether Thomas interfered with an officer performing official duties. It is whether she unlawfully assaulted another person during a neighborhood dispute.
That distinction will likely matter at trial.
Thomas’ decision to plead not guilty also means there may be facts that have not yet been aired publicly. Defense attorneys often challenge witness accounts, the sequence of events, claims of self-defense, or the seriousness of the alleged injuries.
Davis’ report did not include any detailed explanation of a defense strategy. It also did not say whether there was video, independent witnesses, or medical documentation that could become evidence.
A Case That Began With Something Small
The most striking part of the story may be how quickly a dispute over baby ducks grew into a criminal case involving an off-duty police lieutenant and a world champion martial artist.
At first, it sounds almost too small to matter: a neighbor warning a child not to handle newborn ducks. Yet neighborhood tensions can carry old frustrations, misunderstandings, and personal feelings that outsiders never see.
By the time police became involved, the matter had allegedly turned physical and left one family shaken.
Thomas is entitled to defend herself in court, and the allegation against her has not been proven. The case should be judged on evidence, not on her martial arts titles or the emotional reaction surrounding it.
But if prosecutors can prove the Pontanilla family’s account, the incident would be a troubling example of a trained fighter allegedly using force in a situation that did not call for it.
For now, the case remains pending. Thomas is expected back in court next week, where the legal process will begin sorting through what happened outside the Pukalani home and whether a short exchange about baby ducks really ended in an assault that neither side will soon forget.
Mark grew up in the heart of Texas, where tornadoes and extreme weather were a part of life. His early experiences sparked a fascination with emergency preparedness and homesteading. A father of three, Mark is dedicated to teaching families how to be self-sufficient, with a focus on food storage, DIY projects, and energy independence. His writing empowers everyday people to take small steps toward greater self-reliance without feeling overwhelmed.
