12/7/99 Authorities search for runaway boys in chilly desert

By Paul Foy
Associated Press

CEDAR CITY, Utah -- Five of eight teen-age boys who fled a wilderness camp for
troubled youths were found Monday, two days after some of them beat a counselor
and tied up another.  (Note: Lawyers say it was Self-Defense.)

One had trudged 30 miles across the frosty Utah desert before surrendering at a hog
farm. 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 line.

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

With darkness making the search difficult, Iron County Sheriff David "Dude" Benson
said he didn't expect to find the last two boys Monday night. Crews with
bloodhounds and helicopters had been scouring southern Utah's rocky desert for the
boys since they fled Saturday.

Authorities were concerned about the boys' ability to survive 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.

"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.

At first, authorities said the boys only had enough food to last one day. But Kirk
Stock, one of the counselors who was attacked, said they took enough to last a
month, including lentils, rice, oats, wheat flour, dried beans, bouillon cubes, dried chili
and medical supplies.

Benson said the teens beat Stock, 23, 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."

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. Authorities were trying to determine if he was directly involved in the alleged
assaults.

The second boy was found in Ely, Nev., 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.

Distributed by The Associated Press (AP)