Prominent California rock climber Charles Barrett exposed as a ‘monster’ sex predator who used fame to rape women at Yosemite National Park

A famous mountain climber has been exposed as a ‘monster’ sex predator who used his fame to lure women to Yosemite to be raped.

Charles Barrett, 40, was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison after being found guilty by a federal jury in February of two counts of aggravated sexual assault and one count of abuse of sexual contact for repeatedly raping a woman in August 2016 in the iconic national park.

Barrett, who worked and lived in Yosemite, sexually assaulted a 19-year-old woman three times over a weekend in 2016.

On one occasion, he lured the victim to a secluded area and “strangled her to the point that she was in fear of death” while he raped her, according to his sentencing memo.

Three more women testified in court and shared similar stories of Barrett sexually assaulting them in 2010, 2015 and 2016. SF port reported.

Charles Barrett, 40, was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison after being found guilty by a federal jury in February of two counts of aggravated sexual assault and one count of abusive sexual contact.

Barrett, who worked and lived in Yosemite, sexually assaulted a 19-year-old woman three times over a weekend in 2016 (photo: Barrett climbs Tuolumne Meadow’s in Yosemite in 2010)

‘He is 100% responsible for his actions. He knew what he was doing and made those choices. He’s a monster, unfortunately,” said Sarah McKay, former general manager and co-owner of Santa Rosa’s Vertex Climbing Center. The Press Democrat.

Barrett joined the climbing center at the age of 14. McKay remembered him as a “funny” and “goofy” person who was “absolutely charismatic” and a talented climber.

Although the testimony of the three additional women was considered “relevant to the charged assaults,” Barrett was not charged in their assaults “because they fell outside federal jurisdiction,” the release said.

Barrett, originally from Santa Rosa, faced federal charges because Yosemite is owned by the U.S. government.

The disgraced mountain climber began the assault on the then 19-year-old woman by “aggressively kissing her… not slowing down or stopping when she asked, pulling out her nose ring when she tried to create distance, and continuing, even though She stretched out her arm and pressed him against it [his] chest and told him to “stop,” said Kristy McGee, a special agent with the National Park Service’s Investigative Services Branch.

According to the report, Barrett then began choking the victim “to the point where she did not know whether she was losing consciousness or not.”

The unidentified victim told investigators that Barrett proceeded to attack her two more times while she was staying with him because she feared for her life and was in a “frozen state.”

Barrett, originally from Santa Rosa, was hit with federal charges because Yosemite (pictured) is owned by the federal government

Three more women testified in court and shared similar stories of Barrett sexually assaulting them in 2010, 2015 and 2016

On January 6, 2017, the woman drove to the Sevastopol Police Department and told police that Barrett was at her home and refused to leave.

That same night, authorities responded to her residence “on at least two additional occasions due to similar behavior, including her report that Barrett was physically attempting to break into her home.”

The next day, police responded to her home again after she called and said Barrett came back and tried to break in again.

When officers arrived, Barrett lied about his identity and was arrested after presenting his ID.

As a result, he was charged with trespassing, unauthorized entry and disorderly conduct.

Although he faced six months in prison, Barrett pleaded no contest to misdemeanor assault and was sentenced to 24 months’ probation, while the two other charges were dropped.

Shortly after he was arrested for lying to police about his identity, the woman told authorities he “threatened to commit suicide” when he arrived at her home “unannounced.”

‘On an unknown date the defendant appeared at [victim’s] house with suicidal thoughts. When they were alone, the suspect pinned himself down [her] with his full body weight on the ground so that she could no longer move or breathe,” and then sexually assaulted her “as she told him to get off her,” according to court documents.

U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert said Barrett continued to harass his victims with threats when they tried to report him.

“He used his status as a prominent climber to attack women in the rock climbing community, and when his victims started telling, Barrett responded by publicly lashing out with threats and intimidation,” Talbert said.

“This case is a testament to the courage of the victims who reported these crimes.”

The prosecutor revealed that Barrett showed no “remorse or remorse” for his actions during the more than 100 phone calls he made while in jail.

During a recent phone call in May, the convicted rapist said the women were “random girls who said what they wanted,” and that their stories were “wild” and “crazy,” according to court documents.

“Barrett’s prison sentences continue to demonstrate a complete lack of remorse and a mentality of victimhood that cannot be rehabilitated,” the document added.

Before his conviction, Barrett was known as a gifted mountain climber who left school to pursue his outdoor passion in Bishop, Mountain Lakes, Joshua Tree and Yosemite national parks.

Gorden Cooley, who now owns the Vertex Climbing Center, said that when he joined in 2005, he remembered Barrett for his “pretty magnetic” personality that some people enjoyed while others “didn’t.”

Cooley also noted that Barrett “had a drinking problem” that “became obvious to most people.”

‘When he wasn’t drinking, he was climbing to world level. When he drank, it was completely different,” Cooley said.

“It is incredibly shocking to see this pattern of behavior continue for so long, in someone you thought you knew,” Cooley said of Barrett’s predatory actions.

In the affidavit, McGee said Barrett’s conviction was “the most complex and difficult sexual assault investigation I have ever participated in.”

McGee said she felt that way because “many potential victims and witnesses expressed fear of retaliation” from Barrett.

Court records showed that Barrett was heard telling a friend during a pretrial hearing in October 2022 that “something will happen” to the victims “in court or not.”

He added that he had “people” with him in prison, which he called a place “of murders.”

Author Annette McGivney found that Barrett had “at least nine criminal protective orders or restraining orders” filed against him starting in 2008 by four women “all of whom said they feared for their lives.”

Another case cited that he had previously harassed his victims physically and on social media, as he used burner phones to repeatedly call and message them, The Press Democrat reported.

Gordon Cooley said Barrett (left) ‘had a drinking problem’ that ‘became obvious to most people’

McKay said she found it “mind-boggling to see how often he ended up with a plea deal or a restraining order that was never enforced.”

In December 2004, he was arrested in Yosemite for multiple offenses, including driving under the influence.

According to the complaint, Barrett threatened a female officer, telling her she was “not safe” and that he would “hurt her.”

Days later, he slashed the tires of the pickup truck of a ranger who arrested him.

He was charged with five felonies, including witness retaliation, obstructing, intimidating and obstructing a federal officer, and vandalism.

He faced the possibility of years in prison, but instead was offered a plea deal by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Barrett was banned from the park for three years and sentenced to six months.

Barrett was arrested by federal authorities on August 29, 2022, as he left the Mono Country courtroom after being awarded another plea deal.

“It’s time he was stopped,” Cooley said.

Barrett’s attorney, Timothy P. Hennessy, told the judge that a life sentence was not appropriate because his client suffers from mental illness, according to the San Luis Obispo Tribune. reported.

Barrett’s mother told The Press Democrat “no comment” when the outlet called.