Former Santa Claus from Santa's Land accused of child sexual abuse

A North Carolina man who used to play Santa Claus at a North Pole amusement park was arrested last week and accused of sexually abusing two young girls in his home behind the attraction.

Bevier Hasbrouck Sleight III, 78, was arrested on 13 charges, including child abuse, after authorities accused him of sexually abusing two girls between March 2023 and March 2024, according to an arrest warrant obtained by HuffPost. One of the girls was allegedly abused when she was between 5 and 6 years old, and the other when she was between 6 and 7 years old.

According to reports in the Sylva Herald, Sleight had been playing Santa Claus at Santa's Land Fun Park and Zoo in Cherokee, North Carolina. The theme park did not immediately respond to HuffPost's request for comment.

Authorities alleged the abuse took place on the same street where Sleight lives, which is behind the amusement park, according to the arrest warrant. A police photo shows him with a long white beard and mustache.

“He was always just a really nice person. So I'm very shocked to hear this,” Kim Lambert told the station.

According to WLOS, police say Sleight was a client of Caroline Roland, a 39-year-old Cherokee resident accused of running a child sex trafficking ring. She was arrested on June 5 and faces 11 charges, including child abuse that allegedly caused a 5-year-old girl to suffer “multiple broken bones in each hand and several fingers.”