'Papa Pilgrim' charged with sex assault

[cleofus1]

http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/story/7016162p-6918644c.html


ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- The patriarch of a family that has a running feud with the National Park Service over access to their property inside Wrangell-St. Elias National Park has been charged with numerous counts of sexual assault and incest.


Robert Allen Hale, 64, who goes by the name of Papa Pilgrim, was indicted Thursday by a state grand jury in Palmer on 30 felony counts, including 10 counts of sexual assault, one count of kidnapping, eight counts of incest, eight counts of coercion, and three counts of assault, Alaska State Troopers said.

The family includes 15 children but the indictment lists just one victim.

Hale remained at large Monday. "He could be anywhere," said Alaska States Troopers spokesman Greg Wilkinson.

Hale's wife, Country Rose Hale, said family members cooperated in the investigation.

"We're just trying to do everything we can to support them," she told The Associated Press on Monday.

Troopers said the alleged crimes covered eight years, but she declined to confirm the length of the investigation or her breadth of knowledge of the alleged crimes.

"Those are the kind of questions I don't want to answer right now," she said, and instead asked for people's prayers on behalf of the family.

[BikeWriter]

1. The, uh, trooper asked for people's prayers? Hmm...

[cleofus1]

3. poor writing

i believe the pronoun refers to the last proper noun which would be the "wife" Country Rose....so, it is the wife asking for prayers for the family...

very strange story....

[fudge stripe cookays]

2. Ahhh crud.

For a minute I thought this was about Bo Pilgrim, the chicken guy. Bigger right wing asshole never walked the earth.

FSC

[cleofus1]

4. still a sad story...

....Hale, who lived with his family on an old mining site inside Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, has been engaged in a high-profile feud with the federal government over access to his land since 2003. The Pilgrim family garnered support for their politics, their colorful appearance and their bluegrass-flavored musical performances. They also stirred growing anger and resentment among neighbors.

Describing his homespun clan as "the epitome of a wilderness family," Hale espoused a strict and personal Christian doctrine that admitted no outsiders. His children range in age from 2 to 30.

The charges include one count of kidnapping, 10 of first-degree sexual assault, eight of incest, eight of coercion, and single counts of assault in the first, second and third degrees. An arrest warrant was issued Friday. The case developed after troopers were contacted over Labor Day weekend, according a statement issued by the troopers on Monday.

The whole family is cooperating with troopers, said Hale's wife, Kurina Hale.

"We're sorry for the things that happened and hope that God will help us through this," she said Monday in a telephone interview from the family homestead, which they call Hillbilly Heaven. "We haven't lost any sight of God through all this. It's just that sometimes sin is hidden."

Kurina Hale goes by the name Country Rose. Their children all have biblical names such as Israel, Hosanna and Psalms. She said her older children are staying with a family in the Anchorage area that offered support through the difficult break from the rule-bound homestead -- a process that she said started late last winter...."

[cleofus1]

5. the usual suspects

[mahatmakanejeeves]

6. Oh, I remember him.

There was an article about that family in the Washington Post a while back. Almost exactly two years ago, in fact.

Road Leads to Alaska-Size Standoff

It's Hillbilly Heaven vs. Park Service

By Blaine Harden
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, September 28, 2003; Page A01

It is linked at Fark too.

http://forums.fark.com/cgi/fark/comments.pl?IDLink=683270

[Ken Burch]

7. I guess I'm the one who has the bad taste to remind everyone that

the Pilgrims were credentialed delegates to the last STATE REPUBLICAN CONVENTION!

(And now, may I ask, does anyone else think that this whole story has turned into a deeply twisted variant of the "Wilderness Family" films from American International Pictures?)

[Ken Burch]

8. In fact, I've even got a title for it...

"Mountain Short Eyes Robinson".

Coming to a cell near you!