State probing caretakers of Pilgrim children

October 9, 2005

PALMER - A McCarthy man accused of having sex with one of his daughters over an eight-year period was arraigned Thursday in Palmer Superior Court on incest, kidnapping and sexual assault charges, as the state investigated a trooper report that his nine youngest children might not be safe in their current situation.

Robert Hale, 64, who refers to himself as Papa Pilgrim, was indicted in Glennallen District Court on one count of kidnapping, 10 counts of first-degree sexual assault, eight counts of incest, eight counts of coercion and one count each of first-, second- and third-degree assault. The grand jury handed up the indictments Sept. 23 as a result of an investigation by the Alaska Bureau of Investigation.

The state Office of Children's Services is investigating whether the youngest nine of Hale's 17 children, all minors, are safe with their current caretakers. According to Tammy Sandoval, deputy commissioner of OCS, their Wasilla office received a report of harm from state troopers concerning the nine.

"We've been involved since early on," Sandoval said.

Sandoval would not discuss the nature of the troopers' allegations.

OCS has 90 days to complete an investigation once it receives a report, Sandoval said. While OCS looks primarily at the type of harm reported, if any other harm is evident, then it needs to look further, she said. The four categories of harm OCS investigates include physical harm, mental harm, sexual abuse and neglect, she said. Some investigations don't take the full 90 days, but that isn't always the case.

According to Alaska statute, OCS may not reveal the location, even in general terms, of families it is investigating.

"Family dynamics are complicated," Sandoval said. "Families are complicated institutions."

Alaska State Troopers received information about Hale's alleged assaults over Labor Day weekend and touched off an investigation. Palmer Superior Court Judge Beverly Cutler issued a warrant for Hale's arrest on the same day the indictments were filed in court.

Hale allegedly eluded troopers who tried to pick him up shortly afterward at his property about 14 miles outside McCarthy, where Hale lived with his wife, Kurina, and their children until some of his adult children moved to a friend's home in Palmer over the summer.

On Sept. 26, troopers issued a press release with a description of Hale accompanied by his driver's license photo.

At Thursday's hearing, Palmer Superior Court Judge Eric Smith asked Hale when he was arrested. Hale seemed unsure of the date, but clearly stated what happened to him.

"I didn't know I was wanted,“ Hale said under oath. "As soon as I found out, I turned myself in to the first trooper I saw."

According to a trooper release, John Waychoff, a special agent with the Alaska Railroad, noticed Hale's blue Dodge camper-van near the intersection of Eklutna Park Drive and Vasili Drive shortly before 1 p.m. Wednesday. Waychoff made a felony traffic stop and, with Anchorage Police, took Hale into custody and brought him to Mat-Su Pre-Trial Facility.

When Judge Smith asked Hale's occupation, his answer was simple."I'm a father," Hale said. "I'm Papa Pilgrim."

Hale told Smith that he and his wife own 5 acres of land and support their family of seven minor children on his income from Social Security disability. The rest of the property, Hale told the judge, is "in the children's trust." According to the Washington Post, Hale bought 410 acres in the McCarthy area in 2001 with funds accumulated from Alaska Permanent Fund dividend checks for the parents and 15 offspring.

Smith assigned a public defender for Hale and set a Nov. 1 trial date. If the case proceeds to a trial, that trial would likely take place in Glennallen, according to Palmer Assistant District Attorney Richard Payne. The Palmer district attorney's office handles prosecutions in the Glennallen as well as Valdez and Cordova courts.

Jim Buckingham, who, with his wife, Mary, is housing the eight oldest Hale offspring on their 100-acre property on Lazy Mountain, issued a statement to the press Sept. 28.

According to Buckingham, the Hales' eight older children - ranging in age from 15 to 29 - voluntarily left their McCarthy-area home last spring. They left, according to Buckingham, "to clearly separate themselves from the influence, misguided authority and control of their father."