Professional rock climber convicted of sexual assaults at Yosemite National Park
CALIFORNIA, USA - OCTOBER 23: Half Dome view in Yosemite National Park of California, United States on October 23, 2022. (Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. - A professional rock climber has been convicted of aggravated sexual assaults at Yosemite National Park, as prosecutors accused him of using his job and position to "lure and intimidate victims."
Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of California said Charles Barrett, 39, was working and living in the park when he sexually assaulted a woman three times, during a weekend hiking trip she had taken to Yosemite back in August 2016.
During the trial, prosecutors said three other women came forward to testify that Barrett also sexually assaulted them, though the U.S. Attorney's Office said that because the assaults happened outside federal jurisdiction, they were not charged as part of its case.
SEE ALSO: Fremont sex assault suspect pinned down by witnesses
Investigators also accused the defendant of threatening his victims prior to his trial.
The National Park Service worked with the U.S. Department of Justice on the case, which prosecutors said has resulted in holding the defendant accountable for his crimes.
"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," U.S. Attorney Talbert said in a statement. "His violent sexual assaults were devastating to the victims, whom he later threatened in the lead-up to trial," Talbert added.
Barrett is scheduled to be sentenced on May 21 and faces a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison and a $250,000 fine, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Investigators asked anyone with information related to the case or anyone who may have been a victim, to contact the National Park Service through its online tipline, by calling 888-653-0009, or by sending an email to nps_isb@nps.gov.