A 78-year-old former Santa Claus impersonator is accused of sexually abusing girls as young as 5 years old and faces 13 counts of child abuse, according to authorities in North Carolina.
Bevier Hasbrouck Sleight III was arrested and charged with aggravated sexual abuse, abusive sexual contact, offensive touching, and contributing to the delinquency of a minor on Aug. 29.
‘I’m just amazed and shocked.’
Law&Crime reported that Sleight sexually abused two girls between March 2023 and March 2024. Sleight performed oral sex and digitally penetrated the girls aged 5 and 6, according to the criminal complaint.
Court records said the alleged crimes took place at Sleight’s home, which is less than a mile from Santa’s Land Fun Park and Zoo in Cherokee.
Sleight, who sports a long white beard, reportedly had portrayed Santa Claus at Santa’s Land Fun Park and Zoo.
The Christmas-themed amusement park says on its website: “Your kids will be excited to visit Santa at his own summer home in the Great Smoky Mountains. They can sit with and tell Santa all their Christmas wishes, and will receive their own ‘Good Conduct Diploma’!”
An anonymous grandparent reportedly brought a grandson to Santa’s Land on Aug. 24 but is now “disgusted” because the grandparent gave the child’s name and address to receive a letter from Santa Claus.
“It was just a good memory for me with my grandparents to go, and I wanted to make those memories with my grandson,” the grandparent told WLOS. “I’m like, ‘Hey let’s go see Santa,’ so we went into Santa’s house. He stood in there and talked to [my grandchild] for a little while.”
At the end of the visit, they were asked if they wanted to purchase a letter from Santa to be sent to the boy around Christmas time. They agreed and wrote the grandchild’s name and address on an envelope.
The grandparent said, “Who wouldn’t want a surprise letter from Santa Claus?”
The grandparent added, “I was disgusted, you know, and then it was just instantly, ‘I want my envelope back, I don’t want him being exposed to my grandson’s address.’ It’s disgusting, it sickens me, and to know that he’s doing this to young children who are right around my grandson’s age.”
Sleight’s arrest for child sex crimes floored local residents.
“I’m just amazed and shocked. I would have never thought that,” neighbor Kim Lambert told WLOS. “I have a lot of grandchildren. So, it’s very shocking. He’s just really always been a super nice person.”
Santa’s Land Fun Park and Zoo confirmed to the New York Post that Sleight no longer works there. However, the amusement park did not provide Sleight’s final date of employment.
A spokesperson at Santa’s Land told WOLS the park has no comment at this time.
WLOS reported there was a connection between Sleight and a woman who recently was arrested for an alleged violent act of child abuse.
On June 5, Caroline Roland was arrested and charged with 11 counts, including child abuse, maiming, assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, and inflicting serious injury.
Roland severely injured a 5-year-old girl by smashing the child’s hands on a table, causing “multiple broken bones to each hand on multiple different digits,” according to court documents obtained by WLOS.
Roland, 39, allegedly picked up the girl and threw her to the ground and repeatedly slammed her face into the floor until she stopped breathing.
The child needed CPR to be resuscitated and required an emergency craniotomy, according to the criminal complaint. The girl allegedly suffered a brain hemorrhage and additional injuries were found all over her body at the hospital.
According to WLOS, the Cherokee Indian Police Department said Sleight was a “customer” of Roland, who allegedly ran a child trafficking ring. However, neither suspect is currently facing any trafficking-related charges.
Police told WLOS that the trafficking investigation is ongoing.
Roland remains in the Cherokee County Detention Center, and her next court date is scheduled for Oct. 23.
Police said Sleight is not out on bond, but court documents showed there is a secured bond set at $75,000 with electronic monitoring.
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