Pro rock climber guilty in Yosemite sexual assaults, prosecutors say. Other abuse alleged
A professional rock climber was convicted Tuesday in federal court for sexual abuse he committed in Yosemite National Park, prosecutors said.
A federal jury found Charles “Charlie” Barrett guilty of two counts of aggravated sexual abuse and one count of abusive sexual contact during a weekend trip to Yosemite in 2016, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert said in a news release.
The 39-year-old was living and working in the national park in Central California when he sexually assaulted a visitor who had made a trip to the park to hike, prosecutors said.
During trial, three other victims testified Barrett also sexually assaulted them, prosecutors said. Those alleged assaults were not inside of federal jurisdiction so they did not lead to charges during the court proceedings, according to the news release.
“This defendant used his renown and physical presence as a rock climber to lure and intimidate victims who were part of the rock-climbing community,” Talbert said in the news release. “His violent sexual assaults were devastating to the victims, whom he later threatened in the lead-up to trial.”
Barrett’s attorney Timothy Hennessy submitted a statement following the conviction, saying the case was difficult and complex. He said Barrett will appeal the verdict.
“While it is not a verdict we believe was warranted by the evidence, Mr. Barrett understands the importance in respecting a (jury’s) verdict. Mr. Barrett has issues he wishes to raise on appeal,” the statement said. “Particularly, evidence objected to by the government early on in this case. Evidence that Mr. Barrett believes would vindicate him. Mr. Barrett knew going into this that it would be a long fight to clear his name. But it is a fight he will not give up.”
Barrett faces a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison and a $250,000 fine at a sentencing hearing on May 21.
Barrett made a name for himself by scaling difficult rock faces in California and has written guidebooks on climbing in Yosemite National Park and the eastern Sierra, according to Tahoe Quarterly magazine.
