Professional rock climber sentenced to life in prison for sexual assaults at Yosemite National Park

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A professional rock climber has been sentenced to life in prison after he was found guilty of repeatedly sexually assaulting a woman during her weekend trip to Yosemite National Park in 2016, prosecutors said Tuesday. 

Charles Barrett, who was charged with two counts of aggravated sexual abuse and one count of abusive sexual contact, was sentenced this week after a trial revealed multiple victims of abuse. 

A welcome sign is seen at Yosemite National Park in California on Dec. 13, 2023. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Barrett was said to be living and working for a private business in the park at the time. 

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"Barrett’s long history of sexual violence supports the imposition of a life sentence," U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert said in a statement. 

"He used his status as a prominent climber to assault women in the rock-climbing community, and when his victims began to tell, Barrett responded by lashing out publicly with threats and intimidation. This case is a testament to the courage of the victims who reported these crimes. The U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to investigate and prosecute violent crimes in National Parks like Yosemite."

Charles Barrett, 40, was sentenced to life in prison on Tuesday. (Mono County Sheriff’s Office)

According to a report from The Sacramento Bee, Barrett was found guilty in February of repeatedly raping a 19-year-old woman on multiple occasions in the park during August 2016. According to court documents, he "aggressively" kissed the woman despite her attempts to stop him and strangled her before sexually assaulting her. 

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