A father from Utah who was once hailed as a hero for protecting his three children while they were all lost on a hike is now left with charges of child abuse.
Micah Smith first made the news in October when he and his three kids got caught in the midst of a storm on a hike in the Big Cottonwood Canyon, as confirmed by the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
Smith, with his three kids, who included his 8-year-old daughter, 4-year-old son, and 2-year-old son, was reported missing and then rescued one day later. Two of them were rushed to a nearby hospital in critical condition, as confirmed by the police. Meanwhile, Smith was listed as being in a fair state, while the third child was considered stable.
In the since then deleted post on GoFundMe, the organizer shared how Smith bravely sacrificed himself to protect his kids. Smith is now facing charges linked to aggravated child abuse and one count linked to child torture, the jail records showed.
In charging documents shared by KSL, Fox 13, and ABC 4, authorities accused Smith of selecting to summit a mountain over the safety of his children. During that 24-hour journey, the victims expressed how they were so cold, tired, and wished to go home. The defendant was called out to the kids’ protector, but he actually turned out to be ill-prepared and very selfish, the statement read.