Boy testifies at grandfather’s child-abuse trial

PHOENIX (AP) — A boy testified Thursday that his grandfather did give him and his two brothers food and water before taking them on two hikes into the Grand Canyon — “but not a lot.”

The middle grandson of Christopher Alan Carlson told jurors at his grandfather’s trial that the worst part of the trip was when he threw up at the bottom of the canyon and the pain from blisters on his feet.

Mr. Carlson, 45, of Indianapolis is charged with six counts of felony child abuse and faces life in prison if convicted. The trial opened in federal court in Phoenix on Wednesday and resumed Thursday.

Prosecutors have alleged that Mr. Carlson deprived his grandsons of food and water and pushed, choked and repeatedly kicked them during hikes on Aug. 15 and 28, when the temperature soared to 108 degrees.

Prosecutor Camille Bibles told jurors Wednesday that the boy got the blisters on the first hike and that they hadn’t fully healed by the second hike.

She also said the blisters were so bad at the end of the second hike that they had turned into ulcers. The boy had to undergo treatment usually reserved for burn patients and couldn’t wear shoes for weeks, Ms. Bibles said.

The boy said that when he and his brothers got into trouble, their grandfather took it out on them physically and told them not to tell anyone about it.

“He said if we told about the bad stuff, he would get mad at us,” he said. “He would smack us and stuff.”

But under questioning from defense attorney Jeffrey Williams, the boy said he loved his grandpa and knows his grandpa loves him back, and that he took the boys to the Grand Canyon for exercise, not as a punishment.

The boy’s younger brother testified Wednesday that the boys were kicked during the scorching hikes and that his grandfather also hit him in the face, causing a nosebleed.

Under questioning from Ms. Bibles, the boy also said that Mr. Carlson would pinch pressure points in their back that “kinda hurt” during the hike up from the Grand Canyon.

“We would slow down because we were kind of exhausted. He started kicking us and telling us we had to hurry,” he said, adding that the eldest brother “kept falling and he had cramps and his stomach started hurting on the way out.”

A criminal complaint said Mr. Carlson put his grandsons — who were 12, 9 and 8 years old at the time — in circumstances “likely to cause death or serious bodily injuries.”

But investigators also have said Carlson told them the boys were overweight and he thought hiking the Grand Canyon would help get them into shape.

Mr. Williams portrayed Mr. Carlson as an active health nut who had a firm hand and wanted to show the boys the world. Like anyone after a long hike, the boys were tired, hungry and thirsty, but Mr. Carlson only allowed the boys to eat healthy food such as tofu, hummus and veggie burgers, Mr. Williams said in his opening statement.

Story Continues →

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.