Anchorage, Alaska - From Anchorage to Alaska's borders, law enforcement officials are scouring every square inch of our state for Robert Hale, or Papa Pilgrim. Hale’s Web site sheds an interesting light on his family and his life journey. And in light of the serious charges he’s facing, there's one part of that Web site that is particularly chilling. Head to www.pilgrimfamily.com and you'll find pictures and biographies of each Hale family member. Click on a picture and get a detailed account of that person's life, written by Papa Pilgrim (This is changing right now - the site has been taken over by the family, but if you look up Google's cache of the site, you can see some of it). Throughout the site, Hale writes about how God speaks to him and how he's his servant and obeys his will.
The Web site also has a link to an Anchorage Daily News article from 2003. In that interview, Hale, who's now accused of kidnapping, sexual assault and incest, dating back seven years, said all of his children are virgins. He says they bathe fully clothed and have never seen a naked human body.The mother, Country Rose, told KTUU last night that she would like people's prayers for her family and that she and her children are OK.
In the meantime, it's important to point out that Hale is only being charged with acts that allegedly occurred in Alaska.
“Any conduct that occurred prior to living in Alaska, I could not pursue charges on that conduct, if any. That would be outside the state's jurisdiction,” said Richard Payne, assistant district attorney in Palmer.
As law enforcement officials continue their search for Hale, Canadian border officials have been warned to keep a lookout for the fugitive and Anchorage police are following every lead.
“We’ve gotten several tips from citizens all over Anchorage having possible sightings of him everywhere from in the downtown areas to the university area and even on the highways out towards Girdwood,” said Anita Shell, APD.
None of the tips have resulted in Hale’s arrest, but police want you to keep a lookout, and keep in mind Hale may have changed his appearance.
“This person has a very long beard, he's quite distinguished, but may have shaved that so the physical description could change based on what he may have done to hide his identity,” said Shell.
State troopers say Hale (pictured at left) is believed to be driving a Dodge camper van which is said to be navy blue. The license number is EPN 405. Anyone with information is asked to contact Alaska State Troopers.New Mexico state officials were not aware of the Alaska indictment and said they are not currently investigating Hale. But they did say that they plan to contact Alaska State Troopers to find out if the alleged abuse occurred before 1998 when the Hale family lived in New Mexico.
Also see this article.
