If you don't 'hate' the man in the photo above, you will when you're done reading this! Down in Phoenix, Arizona, a grandfather.....Can I stop right there, real quick? This guy is a grandfather? ALREADY? I'm baffled! Anyway, a grandfather was found guilty on child abuse on Wednesday for forcing his grandsons on grueling hikes through the breathtaking Grand Canyon in scorching August heat, withholding food and water from them, while choking and kicking them during their long treks. Now, if you've ever been to the Grand Canyon, you would know that there are signs everywhere on the hiking trails to stay hydrated because that desert heat will get you. To read that he withheld water and food from them and proceeded to choke them, this guy is an animal! I think his 'grandsons' are very lucky to be alive!
All three boys testified during the trial with the oldest describing that he secretly asked a hiker to call 911 toward the end of a 19-mile hike on August 28 after he started throwing up and falling down because of cramping and blurring vision. The boy stated that he needed medical attention, but all he received was hitting, pushing, and being called 'fat'.
The Arizona judge found Christopher Alan Carlson of Indianapolis guilty of three of the six charges of child abuse against him stemming from the August 15 and August 28 hikes. One criminal complaint suggested that Carlson put his grandsons in circumstances 'likely to cause death or serious bodily injuries.'
Prosecutors told the jurors that Carlson deprived the boys of food and water during the hikes, but the boys, who were 8, 9, and 12 at the time, reported that they did get some water, but not always enough and they ate celery and other snacks during the hike. Investigators stated that Carlson told the boys that they were overweight and he thought hiking the Grand Canyon would help whip them into shape. Um, so he had to travel all the way from Indianapolis to Arizona to make the boys exercise? There are no gyms in Indy? And I suppose choking and kicking the kids was part of disciplining them?
His defense attorney portrayed Carlson as a 45-year-old (and he's a grandfather?) active health nut who had a firm hand and wanted to show the boys the world. He went on to say that like anyone after a long hike, the boys were tired, hungry, and thirsty, but Carlson only allowed the boys to eat healthy food like tofu, hummus, and veggie burgers. Well, the defense attorney had one thing right! This guy was a NUT!
The middle grandson, now 10, said that Carlson discovered the kids had hidden unwanted cauliflower, asparagus, and fish in their van, and he made them eat it even though the food had hair and other debris on it. Another time, the boy said that Carlson made him eat broccoli that he'd tried to flush down the toilet. The oldest child told jurors that he threw up several times and Carlson denied him water, while taking sips from a jug himself. He went onto say that their grandfather would get mad whenever he started walking too slow, and at one point, hit him in the face with a rock causing his lips to bleed. He also stated that Carlson was in a hurry to get to the top of the Grand Canyon, so he could see the sunset.
A ranger with binoculars spotted the grand kids and their grandfather during their August 28 hike, which was the same day a man died on another trail from heat exposure. The ranger reported seeing Carlson shoving the oldest boy and whipping him with a rolled-up t-shirt. Rangers got to the boys, fed them and gave them water after one showed symptoms of heat stroke and the other two had signs of heat exhaustion and dehydration. Investigators also said that the boys were covered in cuts, bruises, and scars that backed their stories up. A nurse also testified that the boys had severely chafed thighs because Carlson wouldn't let them wear underwear, and that the boys were indeed dehydrated and had signs of heat stroke and heat exhaustion. What an animal!
Carlson is scheduled to be sentenced on June 1, but it's unclear if he could face up to life in prison for his convictions. At the end of the article, there was finally an explanation as to why Carlson was such a young grandfather. Thank God! Turns out, he had his first child, Tara Danaher, the mother of the boys, when he was 15 years old. His daughter, Danaher, had her first when she was 17. Here's another question, where does the mother fit in in all of this? Why hasn't she testified? Does she even care that this happened to her three sons? You have to love White Trash America!
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