Thursday, March 1, 2012

Grandfather Inflicts Torture On 19 Mile Hike


On Wednesday, February 29th an Arizona jury found Christopher Alan Carlson (pictured) of Indianapolis, IN guilty of child abuse.  He was found guilty on three of the six child abuse charges that had been filed against him after an agonizing hike on August 15th and 28th.  Carlson, 45, took his three grandsons ages 8, 9, and 12 at the time, on a 19 mile hike in 108 degree weather.  Charges were filed after a Ranger who was spotting the area with his binoculars witnessed the abuse.  At the trial, the three boys testified that their grandfather took them on these hikes to get them into better shape.  The eldest grandson testified on court that his grandfather would throw rocks, push them, whip them, and beat them on both hikes.  When questioned about how much food or water they received, the boys testified that they were allowed to eat celery and drink little water.



The eldest grandson also testified that he had secretly asked a passerby to call 911 on the August 28th hike because he was throwing up after he fell down because of cramping and experienced changes in his vision.  “I needed medical attention, and I was hurting, and he was hitting and pushing me and calling me fat.  I was scared and it was hard and I was all wear and tired and kind of hurt.”  Carlson threw a rock at the eldest child’s face because he was not moving fast enough.  “I started crying and walking faster, and he kicked me in the butt and said, ‘Run,’” stated the boy.

The middle grandson testified that the worst part of the trip was when he threw up at the bottom of the canyon and also the damage done to his feet from the severe blistering.  All three boys testified at the trial saying their grandfather was in a hurry to get to the top of the mountain in order to see the sunset.

Luckily, a ranger who was spotting the mountain with his binoculars saw Carlson shove and whip the oldest boy and immediately called for more help.  Rangers then fed and gave the boys water after one showed signs of a heat stroke while the other two showed signs of heat exhaustion and dehydration.  At the trial, a nurse who attended t the boys at the hospital stated that all three of them had severely chafed thighs because Carlson did not let them wear underwear.  Carlson is set to be sentenced on June 1st.

How a grandparent could ever think that torturing his grandchildren would make them more physically fit is beyond me.  I also have to question the mother in this situation.  How did she not see the bruises and blisters on the first hike on August 15th and not say anything then?  If she was aware of her children’s injuries then it seems to me that she was negligent toward taking care of her children.  I was not able to find any more information on whether or not charges had been filed against her or if she even knew about the situation. 

It is very unfortunate that these three boys had to go through such a horrible ordeal at such a young age, but it is also a blessing that the abuse was stopped before Carlson could have hurt the children further.  We can only hope that these children will be able to move on from the emotional and physical scarring that a trusted family member had inflicted upon them.

8 comments:

  1. I agree with you it is unfortunate that these events occurred, but that it is a good thing that the grandfather has been charged and found guilty. I also agree that it is important to question what the mother's role in all of this was. As a mother how could you not notice if your children are extremely dehydrated and have chafing and blisters? I feel the mother should at the very least be questioned and possibly charged with neglect or something along those lines. I hope that the children feel safer now knowing that their grandfather cannot hurt them anymore, however they still have a long road to recovery to mentally get over what happened to them.

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  2. This is a very sad story. Fortunately these boys are very lucky. Most child abuse goes unnoticed or ignored and many children suffer for years before finding help if they ever get help. It is strange that the parents of these children didn't notice something. I suppose after the first hike they could have thought that blisters, etc were normal for something the children aren't used to doing. However, you would assume with how the boys complained to the rangers, etc that they would have complained to their parents as well after the first hike. It is sad that horrible things such as this are allowed to go on but thankfully these boys were spared before any worse damage could be done.

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  3. This is an unbelievable story. How people come up with something like this and actually think it is okay is beyond me. I am very proud of the boy who asked someone he saw to call 911, because I know at that age I would have been too scared to say anything in that situation. I also know that I don't think I could have called the police on my grandfather, so I am very happy that the boy stood up for him and his brothers. I agree that something should be done about the mother as well. How did she not realize what was going on with her kids after the first hike? This story really makes me wonder how much child abuse goes undetected in our world. It is so sad to think that so many kids are getting tortured like this and very few ever tell anyone about it or it goes unnoticed.

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  4. It is truly disgusting that there are people like this in the world. I have no idea how someone would do something like this to three young boys and not feel like they were doing something wrong or feel guilty about it. I am glad that the ranger saw this happening so the boys do not have to go through something like this again. Obviously the parents in this situation were either oblivious to what was going on or did not care. Either way I feel like they would be somewhat responsible for what happened to their children.

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  5. This is a horrible story. I feel awful for the grandkids. No kids deserve to be treated that way, especially by their grandparents. Grandparents are supposed to love, and nurture their grandkids not intentionally hurt them. I also agree that the mother should be questioned. The mother must be pretty young if the grandfather was only 45 and the kids were 8, 9, and 12, so this makes me wonder if she is even old enough to be a good mother to the kids. I’m glad the ranger was there to stop the child abuse. Overall, I hope the kids will get the treatment and love they deserve.

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  6. This story was hard to read, I learning in class this year how these types a people think. I feel sorry for the boys and their families of what happened to them. I’m happy that someone saw what was happing to them and reported it so this man could be punished and charged for what he did to these boys. I hope that someone figures out how theses offender’s minds operate and think, so police and doctors can find a way to prevent future victims.

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  7. This is unreal. Its a good thing the ranger saw them because the abuse probably would have kept going unnoticed for a long time. These children could have easily died out there in 108 degree whether without water. Still can't believe the mother of these children didn't step up to say something after the first hiking trip or even allowed them to be in his hands again. Its terrible to hear stories about young children getting abused especially in these harsh conditions.

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  8. I agree with everybody I don't understand why people do the things that they do, I guess we will never know, but this is outrageous. I am so glad that the rangers witnessed this and helped the boys because if they had not they probably would of ended up dying and the grandfather couldn't careless. Taking a hike in 108 weather with no food and water is just crazy. I hate hearing stories about child abuse, children are the sweetest things on the earth and do not harm anyone, it is so sad and sickening that people abuse children. If people don't like children then don't have kids or do not be around them simple as that!

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