Pro rock climber convicted of sex assault used his fame to lure victims to Yosemite, officials say
A professional rock climber known in the California climbing community was convicted Tuesday of sexually assaulting a woman in Yosemite National Park in 2016, federal prosecutors said.
A professional rock climber known in the California climbing community was convicted Tuesday of sexually assaulting a woman in Yosemite National Park in 2016, federal prosecutors said.
A jury convicted Charles Barrett, 38, of two counts of aggravated sexual abuse and one count of abusive sexual contact, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California said.
Barrett used force to have sex with the victim during a weekend in August, according to court documents.
The charges on which he has been convicted carry up to life in prison, the U.S. attorney’s office said, but sentencing guidelines and other factors play a role. Sentencing is scheduled for May 21.
Barrett was indicted in 2022. He was charged with crimes against one woman, but three other women testified at trial that he also victimized them, the U.S. attorney’s office said. Those cases were not criminally charged federally because they did not happen in federal jurisdiction, it said.
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