Truesee's Daily Wonder

Truesee presents the weird, wild, wacky and world news of the day.

Friday, September 2, 2011

 

Grandad charged with forcing young grandsons to hike

Grandpa Charged With Forcing Grand Canyon Hikes

 

Published September 02, 2011

| Associated Press

090211_carson

Fox59

Christopher Carlson

FLAGSTAFF, Arizona –  A 45-year-old grandfather forced his three young grandsons to hike 18 miles (29 kilometers) in triple-digit heat at the Grand Canyon and denied them food and water, authorities said.

Christopher Carlson remained jailed Thursday on six counts of child abuse. The boys, ages 12, 9 and 8, told investigators that they had been hit, pushed, choked, pinched and squeezed during trips on a popular trail at the canyon's South Rim last month.

On the latest hike over the weekend down the Bright Angel Trail, temperatures reached 108 degrees (42 Celsius) at Phantom Ranch along the Colorado River. A ranger spotted the group with binoculars on the trail and saw Carlson shoving the oldest boy and whipping him with a rolled-up T-shirt, authorities said.

National Park Service Special Agent Chris Smith testified that Carlson told authorities that the boys had been overweight and that he thought the hike would get them into shape.

"He told me that he loved his grandchildren very much, but at the same time there were tough people in the world and his grandchildren needed to be tough as well," Smith said.

Authorities said Carlson tortured and beat the boys, and instructed them to lie to park rangers about any injuries. Rangers and passers-by noted the alleged abuse by Carlson, according to court documents.

The boys said Carlson also forced their fingers down their throats, making them vomit.

Rangers fed and hydrated the boys inside an ambulance and they were placed in the care of child protective services. One boy had symptoms of heat stroke, while the other two exhibited signs of heat exhaustion and dehydration.

Carlson took the children on the latest hike on Aug. 28. A man died the same day on another trail at the Grand Canyon due to heat exposure.

Defense attorney Luke Mulligan questioned the children's statements, saying it seemed improbable that they could have completed the hike without food and water. He also said the rangers could have removed the children from the canyon had they believed the children were at risk of serious injury or death.

"If the rangers didn't perceive it, are we going to put an extra burden on my client to perceive it?" Mulligan said.

But prosecutors said a ranger was successful in preventing Carlson from reaching the river on an earlier hike on Aug. 15, cooling down the children and giving a heads-up to other authorities in the park. Camille Bibles said Carlson was intent on avoiding rangers during the second trip.

"We're looking at the defendant's actions here, not putting the rangers on trial," she said.

A federal magistrate found probable cause for allegations of child abuse and determined that Carlson, 45, was a flight risk and a danger to children.

The boy's mother, Tara Danaher, of Indianapolis, sobbed at a court hearing Thursday. She said her children went on trips with their grandfather this summer, including to Central America and Jamaica, where they have family friends. The highlight of the latest trip that included the Grand Canyon was supposed to be Disneyland, she said.

Danaher, 28, said she talked with her children throughout the summer and that they never expressed any concerns.

"I don't want to say I can't believe it because anything is possible in this world," she said during breaks in the hearing. "I want to know what the hell happened."

August is the busiest month for search and rescue operations, with heat being the leading contributing factor, according to the Park Service. Of the 286 rescue operations last year, 75 percent of them occurred on the Bright Angel Trail.



Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/09/01/grandpa-charged-with-forcing-grand-canyon-hikes/#ixzz1Wo3TAuy8

Comments: Post a Comment

<< Home

Archives

March 2024   February 2024   January 2024   December 2023   November 2023   October 2023   September 2023   August 2023   July 2023   June 2023   May 2023   April 2023   March 2023   February 2023   January 2023   December 2022   November 2022   October 2022   September 2022   August 2022   July 2022   June 2022   May 2022   April 2022   March 2022   February 2022   January 2022   December 2021   November 2021   October 2021   September 2021   August 2021   July 2021   June 2021   May 2021   April 2021   March 2021   February 2021   January 2021   December 2020   November 2020   October 2020   September 2020   August 2020   July 2020   June 2020   May 2020   April 2020   March 2020   February 2020   January 2020   December 2019   November 2019   October 2019   September 2019   August 2019   July 2019   June 2019   May 2019   April 2019   March 2019   February 2019   January 2019   December 2018   November 2018   October 2018   September 2018   August 2018   July 2018   June 2018   May 2018   April 2018   March 2018   February 2018   January 2018   December 2017   November 2017   October 2017   September 2017   August 2017   July 2017   June 2017   May 2017   April 2017   March 2017   February 2017   January 2017   December 2016   November 2016   October 2016   September 2016   August 2016   July 2016   June 2016   May 2016   April 2016   March 2016   February 2016   January 2016   December 2015   November 2015   October 2015   September 2015   August 2015   July 2015   June 2015   May 2015   April 2015   March 2015   February 2015   January 2015   December 2014   November 2014   October 2014   September 2014   August 2014   July 2014   June 2014   May 2014   April 2014   March 2014   February 2014   January 2014   December 2013   November 2013   October 2013   September 2013   August 2013   July 2013   June 2013   May 2013   April 2013   March 2013   February 2013   January 2013   December 2012   November 2012   October 2012   September 2012   August 2012   July 2012   June 2012   May 2012   April 2012   March 2012   February 2012   January 2012   December 2011   November 2011   October 2011   September 2011   August 2011   July 2011   June 2011   May 2011   April 2011   March 2011   February 2011   January 2011   December 2010   November 2010   October 2010   September 2010   August 2010   July 2010   June 2010   May 2010   April 2010   March 2010   February 2010   January 2010   December 2009   November 2009   October 2009   September 2009   August 2009   July 2009   June 2009   May 2009   April 2009   March 2009   February 2009   January 2009   December 2008  

Powered by Lottery PostSyndicated RSS FeedSubscribe