Good thing he’s a religious man, otherwise I might have thought he was an immoral man.

Alaska’s `Papa Pilgrim’ gets 14 years

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - A man who called himself “Papa Pilgrim” and took his family far from civilization to raise them according to his interpretation of the Bible was sentenced to 14 years in prison for sexually assaulting a daughter.

A judge imposed the sentence Tuesday after Robert Hale’s wife and many of their 15 children delivered statements that included intense stories of physical and mental abuse. Judge Donald Hopwood called it “one of the worst cases of domestic violence I’ve seen.”

Hale and his family came to prominence during a feud with the National Park Service after family members used a bulldozer without permission to clear a road in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park.

Land rights advocates rallied to their cause, and stories featured their plight as a case of big government versus simple folks loving music, fearing God and living off the land.