Authorities search for runaway boys in chilly desert

Paul Foy

Tuesday, Dec. 7, 1999 | 8:22 a.m.

CEDAR CITY, Utah - Five teen-age boys who fled a wilderness camp for troubled youth were found Monday, two days after a group of teens beat a counselor and tied up another.

One boy had trudged 30 miles across the frosty Utah desert, while another turned up in Nevada, 140 miles from the camp, and directed authorities to three others hiding near Beryl, Utah, 15 miles from the Nevada border.

Search crews with bloodhounds and helicopters continued to scour southern Utah for two other boys who fled Saturday.

With darkness making searching difficult on the ground, Iron County Sheriff David "Dude" Benson said he didn't expect to find the last two boys Monday night.

Authorities were concerned about the boys' ability to survive in the rugged wilderness after two nights in the bitter cold. The boys, between the ages of 14 and 16, had some survival gear, wool coats, blankets and a two-way radio, but only one-day packs of food.

"The boys are not outfitted for extended periods in this type of weather and this type of terrain," said Steve Peterson, co-founder of RedCliff Ascent Inc., which teaches wilderness survival skills to troubled youth and runs the camp the boys were attending.

An eighth boy in the group turned himself in Saturday after he became ill and was abandoned by the others. He was charged with assault and theft.

Benson said the teens beat 23-year-old counselor Kirk Stock with sticks Saturday, tried to break his legs and then bound him with duct tape. The boys allegedly threatened 22-year-old counselor Sunshine Fuller, tied her to a tree and fled. They escaped near Cedar City, 220 miles south of Salt Lake City.

"We're absolutely worried about them," Benson said. "They've done some stupid things, but they're just kids."

Stock said the boys took several days' worth of dry food with them, including lentils, rice, oats, wheat flour, dried beans, bouillon cubes, dried chili and medical supplies. If rationed, Stock said the supplies could last up to a month.

The first boy who turned himself in Monday showed up at a hog farm in rural Beaver County. His condition wasn't disclosed, and Benson said he hadn't been charged with any crime.

He was brought out with the searchers to show them where he last saw the rest of the group. The boy who turned up in Nevada, meanwhile, told searchers where to find the group of three boys near Beryl.

Authorities were trying to determine if any of the boys who were found was involved in the alleged assaults. Benson said all of the captured boys would be taken to a juvenile detention center in Cedar City.

One of the camp's founders said authorities told him they had found fresh tracks within 10 miles of the hog farm, indicating progress in the search of the rocky back country.

The second boy was found in Ely around 5 p.m. He had gotten a ride from a truck driver, who took him to Nevada and then notified authorities.

The boys, who were sent to the camp by their parents, came from Silverton, Ore.; Plainfield, Ill.; Austin, Texas; Wynnewood, Pa.; Kildeer, Ill.; and Greenwich, Conn., and two unspecified towns in California and New York, according to Utah officials.

On Saturday, their first night of freedom, temperatures fell to 6 degrees. Sunday night, the low was 17. Afternoon temperatures on Monday approached the 60s under sunny skies.

Benson said the alleged attack was not the first time RedCliff has had runaways during its camping trips. In previous cases, he said RedCliff officials captured the runaways.

Scott Peterson, Steve's brother and RedCliff co-founder, said the program has treated 1,500 children in seven years. He said many are sent by parents or courts but until now the company has never had a group of children overtake the staff.

"We teach our people the best we can, but it's not a perfect science," he said.