Yosemite Climber Guilty of Domestic Violence
Sentencing for Yosemite climber Lonnie Kauk, who was found guilty of felony domestic violence, will be on June 23
Yosemite rock climber Lonnie Kauk, 44, has been convicted of three counts of felony domestic violence and one count of misdemeanour domestic violence in Mono County Superior Court. He’s the son of famed American big wall climber Ron Kauk.
As Climbing first reported, “The charges relate to a single altercation on June 22, 2023, with his then-girlfriend, Riley Hancock. Paige Fisher first reported the story at The Sheet News, which covers California’s Highway 394 Corridor. ‘The photos of [Hancock] submitted as evidence show a bruised handprint on her neck, which expert witness Regina D’Aquilla, a forensic nurse, identified as being consistent with manual strangulation,’ wrote Fisher, who attended part of Kauk’s four-day trial.”
And as The Sheet reported, “In 2008, professional rock climber and snowboarder Lonnie Kauk testified against another climber, Charles Barrett, who was later sentenced to life in prison by a federal court for felony sexual assault. At the time, Kauk reportedly told Barrett, ‘Dude, you crossed the line… just suck it up and deal with it.'”
Conversations about Kauk’s conviction can be found on Mountain Project here and Reddit here. Sentencing for Kauk is scheduled to take place on June 23.
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