A father who was rescued along with his three young children from Big Cottonwood Canyon in October after they were caught in a winter storm while hiking is now facing felony charges for taking his children on that hike.

Micah Smith, 32, of South Jordan, was charged Wednesday in 3rd District Court with three counts of child torture and three counts of aggravated child abuse, all first-degree felonies.

“What seemed like an innocent hike with his three children quickly turned into a nightmare when the defendant chose to summit a mountain over the safety of the kids. The defendant refused to turn around when their mom told him to turn around and get the children home,” charging documents state. “During the 24-hour ordeal, the victims expressed that they were cold, tired and wanted to go home

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