A professional mountain climber who attacked a woman three times during a weekend hike to California’s Yosemite National Park in 2016 has been sentenced to life in prison.
Charles Barrett, 40, was accused of using his fame as a mountain climber to lure the woman to the park, then making hundreds of threatening phone calls against her and his other victims after he was arrested and taken into custody.
The U.S. attorney’s office in Sacramento announced the sentence Monday for two counts of aggravated sexual abuse and one count of abusive sexual contact.
“Barrett’s long history of sexual violence supports the imposition of a life sentence,” federal prosecutor Phillip Talbert said in a statement after the sentence was announced.
“He used his status as a prominent climber to attack women in the rock climbing community, and when his victims started telling, Barrett responded by publicly lashing out with threats and intimidation.”
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Federal prosecutors, Talbert added, would continue to investigate and prosecute violent crimes in national parks like Yosemite.
During the trial, three other women testified that Barrett, who lived and worked for a private company in the national park, sexually assaulted them — one at a rock climbing gym — but these alleged crimes were not charged because they did not occur on federal land. .
One of those accusers told the gym owner about Barrett’s attack in hopes of protecting other women at the gym. Barrett, who was convicted two years ago of criminal threatening, went on to harass and threaten her for years, the U.S. attorney’s office said.
According to Outside magazine, records showed that over a fourteen-year period beginning in 2008, Barrett had at least nine criminal protection orders or restraining orders against him obtained by four women. They all said they feared for their lives.
A 2019 article in Tahoe Quarterly stated, “Barrett is best known for pioneering some of the most difficult bouldering routes in California.” He was also the subject of a glowing profile in the July 2016 issue of Climbing.
In court affidavits, National Park Service investigator Kristy McGee said the investigation into Barrett had been the most difficult of her 20-year career.
“I have spoken to dozens of witnesses who have expressed fear about what Barrett might do to them, or otherwise confirmed that he is an unstable and often dangerous person,” McGee said.
A National Park Service law enforcement officer assigned to Barrett’s assault case in Yosemite told the newspaper that “old climbers” had closed ranks around Barrett and “seemed invested in minimizing sexual violence and harassment as they took their climbing performance to the next level.” level up”.
Ultimately, the ring of protection around Barrett was breached by Safe Outside, a group founded in 2018 as the #MeToo movement gained momentum with the aim of assessing sexual violence and harassment in the climbing world.
After Barrett’s sentencing was announced, Yosemite National Park Superintendent Cicely Muldoon said he was “sending a clear message about the consequences of this criminal behavior. It makes Yosemite a safer place for the climbing community, park visitors and our employees.”
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Information and support for anyone affected by rape or sexual abuse is available from the following organisations. In the US, Rainn offers support at 800-656-4673. In the UK, Rape Crisis offers support on 0808 500 2222. In Australia, support is available on 1800Respect (1800 737 732). Other international helplines can be found at ibiblio.org/rcip/internl.html
