Professional climber convicted of sexual assault in Yosemite National Park

A view of Half Dome on June 11, 2020 in Yosemite National Park, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

A professional rock climber was convicted Tuesday of a series of sexual assaults in Yosemite National Park, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Charles Barrett, 40, was sentenced to life in prison for two counts of aggravated sexual abuse and one count of abusive sexual contact that occurred over a single weekend.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, the female victim was traveling to Yosemite National Park for a weekend of hiking in August 2016. Barrett, who lived in the park and worked for a private company, sexually assaulted her three times.

During the trial, according to U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert, three other women also testified that Barrett sexually assaulted them. Those assaults were not charged because they were outside of federal jurisdiction, but were admitted at trial as relevant to the case.

According to court documents, in 2017, seven years after he attacked one of the victims who testified in court, Barrett intentionally climbed at a climbing gym that the victim attended. She then reported Barrett’s attack to the gym’s owner to protect other women at the gym. Barrett responded by harassing and threatening her for several years. In August 2022, he was convicted of criminal threats he made in January 2022.

During his detention, Barrett made hundreds of phone calls, according to prosecutors, in which he showed no remorse or regret, but instead threatened violence and revenge and claimed that they were plotting to ruin his life.

“Barrett’s long history of sexual violence justifies the imposition of a life sentence,” said U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert. “He used his status as a prominent climber to attack women in the climbing community, and when his victims began to speak out, Barrett responded by publicly responding with threats and intimidation.”

Talbert added that the case was a testament to the courage of the victims who reported the crimes.