Natalie and I sat down next to eachother on a rock, overlooking the slick rock basin. She and I had been cooking up a way out of this place, but first, we needed to figure out when.
“So, if you’re really wanting to make a big escape, we can just take out all the counselors and run like hell til we find people. I can definately hit a few with big rocks in their heads, crush them like grapes!”
She laughed at this little idea, but she wasn’t laughing at the pure insanity of it, she was laughing because she enjoyed visualizing their heads being smashed and their brains squishing out of their ears, eyeballs popping out onto the dirt. There was a feeling I got when I knew there was a sick person with me, and it felt like how you feel when you smell ammonia and dog shit. I felt it, I smelled it. This girl was nuts. But she was crazy enough to follow through on this plan I had.
“No, listen” I said. “I heard them talking the other day about if one of us got really sick, they’d have to take us in to Escalanté to see the doctor. So what if we got ourselves there and we stole a car, or found someone to take us outta here?”
She thought about that for a minute, and then she looked at me and said “Want me to break your arm? Then you break mine or somethin. Then we’ll get taken in for sure!”
“Uh, no. Are you crazy? Listen lady, I’m talking about exaggerating something we’ve already got. Now, my ankles hurt really bad. I’ve heard that some people get tendonitis back here in their tendons and their feet get so stiff that they can’t walk. Now you, you’ve got a cough. Sure we both know its from lack of cigarettes and stuff, but yeah, what if for today and tomorrow and forever how long it takes, you go on and keep coughing and making it sound really bad?” I stopped right there because she was doing the stare-into-nothingness thing again.
“Yeah. Thats it. Let’s do it. You ain’t too bad, Princess” she said, patting me on the leg. For some reason I took that as a huge compliment that a criminal like Natalie would think my idea was good. Thats why we made a good team, she had the brawn, and I had the brains… We were about to be Bonnie and well…..Bonnie.
We hiked all that day, and into the night, and finally after much labored effort to lay out or ponchos, we drifted off to sleep. I didn’t dream of Stephanie, I didn’t dream at all. I just passed the hell out, and when I woke up the next day, I thought I was still dreaming because there infront of my eyes, was a pile of bananas.
I sat up, looked around, squinted and looked again, really hard to make sure I wasn’t hallucinating, when suddenly Murdock and Horsehair came around the corner with a well dressed and handsome dark haired man. He had friendly eyes, beautiful teeth…he was handsome and clean. I felt myself get shy because I knew we all must have looked like dust demons. His eyes caught mine and very quickly I averted them and began to pack up my roll.
“Hey! Listen up! Everyone, eyes up here” Murdock began. “This…is Steve Cartisano. He’s the owner of this program. He’s the man who is going to save your life. (already, a reference to him as Christ…) He has come down here today and brought with him a very special guest who will be arriving shortly. Anyone ever hear of Bryant Gumbel? Anyone? Well, he’s on a very special show called the Today Show, and he’s coming out here today to see how you awesome kids are doing! We’re all so proud of you and we wanted to show him how much you’ve already learned in 5 days!”
I could smell the stink of something rotten in his words. This was because they were afraid of the Stephanie story getting out so they invited someone in to see how happy we were. This was starting to rot like peaches on the asphalt in July.
“Here, each of you, since you’ve been SO good, have a banana! Oh and lets learn some songs…anyone know any songs?” he shouted cheerfully.
Who the FUCK was this man? This was Murdock, the asshole who scraped the skin off of Stephanie’s back 2 days ago. I was in awe at the act he showed. Suddenly Steve Cartisano moved closer to us and told us that he wanted to spend some alone time with each of us. He started taking kids off to the side, in plain view, and talking gently to them. I could see the countenance of each student go from tight and angry to loose and relaxed as he talked. This man was a charmer, I could already sense it.
When it was my turn, I walked over and sat down. He asked me basic questions, did I miss my family. Did I have any problems. Did I like the other kids. Did I remember what happened to Stephanie. When it was over I saw a black man on a horse riding up. He had camera guys following him and ahead of him as he approached. Oh yeah, I knew this guy from TV! He’s the morning guy! Weird!
He came over, said some TV thing to the camera guys and then we all sat in a group. We were interviewed in a circle. Something came over us, whether we were all so excited to see other people or what was affecting us, we all were smiling, and happy. Everyone said shit like “Oh, I miss my family so much!” and “This is so peaceful and good for me! I am finding God.” Even I said something like “This is good for me. I was so out of control, this place makes me love my family even more.”
I got dizzy then. Some of the other girls did too. I think it was the mental stress, but by the time Bryant left, we were all speechless. Nobody moved. Steve Cartisano got up and thanked us, as we all sat in a circle on the ground, staring at the fire pit. Nobody moved. He started to leave, and shouted that he was proud of us. Nobody moved. He drove off in a jeep, kicking up dust as he went. Still, nobody moved.
Murdock told us to get up, to find some wood for the fire. I don’t remember anything else that happened that day. What…the…hell…happened that day? Anyone?
LotharBot Says:
May 13th, 2005 at 5:03 pmVisit LotharBot
There are drugs that make you susceptible to suggestion. Maybe they put some in the bananas.
Catherine Sutton Says:
May 19th, 2005 at 9:30 pmVisit Catherine Sutton
It’s called “Brainwashing.”
Cartisano uses his “charisma” to get what he wants out of people………..and they fall for it. He’s kind of like the Pied Piper.
I watched Cartisano roll up his shirt sleeve in court during the Negligent Homicide Trial of Kristen Chase. He did this to show that he was wearing special clothing. You know what I mean Allison. He would also look back at his wife in the back row and smile lovingly at her. Now this is the man whom Gayle Palmer said abused her dauther Krista while she was in his program. She told me this in my home after Michelle died. I heard later that he abused other girls too.
Cartisano was known for telling the goonies who worked for him, “if a kid acts up, take him/her behind a tree and let him/her have it. It’s their word against yours.”
These programs prey upon weak and desperate parents to send their wayward teens to them. Some parents are convinced that it is in the best interest of their child to be taken by goonies through their so-called “escort service.” Parents share personal infromation with these people. Then, should something happen and the media gets wind it, they use the personal information given to them by the parents in hopes of helping their child to discredit the child. He/She is a faker, whiner, manipulator you see.
Cartisano is a master manipulator. Everytime I would hear this man say during a TV interview, “My Mother was a heroine addict and my Father abused me,” claiming that this makes him an expert in dealing with troubled teens, I wanted to jump into the TV set. I could see that Cartisano himself was troubled and taking his problems out on children?
I once said to Cartisano as I spoke to him on the phone through his alias, that (HE)”Cartisano is like a 12 year old child out of control.” He didn’t like that much.
Oh well, truth hurts don’t it?
The kids who were with my daughter experienced pressure heaped upon them by the counselors as Michelle grew sicker with each new day. She was accused of faking her flu like symptoms. They accused Michelle of sticking her finger down her throat to make herself sick. The peer pressure Michelle wanted to get away from was now on the trail with her. I don’t blame the kids for what happened to Michelle. They could have died also. Even the counselors could have died. They all could have. The had NO RADIOS to call for help.
Well, I’m off to pick my daughter up.
Keep writing Allison,
Catherine
63 Days » Fox News’ Daybreak Says:
August 5th, 2005 at 11:01 amVisit 63 Days » Fox News’ Daybreak
[...] They’re airing my little bit on Fox News’ “Daybreak” today. 1 oclock eastern, 10 oclock pacific. If you’re new here to 63days, go to the bottom of this page and click “previous entries” and start from #1 or click here [...]
Ashlyn Larimore Says:
October 25th, 2005 at 12:23 amVisit Ashlyn Larimore
Hi im writing this because im not sure what this page is about other than the fact that it has content about Steve Cartisano. I met Steve while in his “New Hope ” “program” that man knew that me and the other children were being beaten and sexually molested and he did nothing about it. That man took thousands from my parents to “help” me and left me stranded on the island of Samoa. Im now taking action and filing a suit against him and trying to get him to pay for all that he has done to all of these familys .
Lauretta MInnick Says:
January 4th, 2006 at 3:34 pmVisit Lauretta MInnick
I grew up with Steve Cartisano. He was call “uncle” by my children. My mother was like his mother and he was even given money when she died. We were the first ones to get a 2nd mortgage on our home, get all our friends to sell their personal things to raise money and to start the first survival school for troubled kids. I take the prize, so to speak, of being THE FIRST of his conquests. I would love to talk to someone about him. He left us with all the bills, we had seven little children and we had to apply for government help and I was in food lines just to be able to feed my children.
John Fenston Says:
January 26th, 2006 at 12:00 pmVisit John Fenston
Re Steve Cartisano.
Have been reading about this guy here and on other websites.
Judging from his attitudes and behaviour, including his charm and charisma, it may well be that he is at worst a sociopath, and at best has a narcissistic personality disorder.
If that’s the case, he will never admit to, or feel any guilt or responsibility, for anything he has done, or ordered to be done.
It’s truly tragic for his victims, as not only will there be no money for compensation (unless there’s some insurance around), but there will certainly be no apology or closure.
lexi Says:
September 20th, 2006 at 4:18 amVisit lexi
omg, i made a previous entry regarding my being sent to military school.. but after reading ashlyn’s comment i realized that this is the same program that my exbf and one of my friends (coincidentally) had been sent to.. i cant believe this. he was sent to somoa where he was with kids that were killers and she was in utah where the counselors punished her by SITTING ON HER. both of them were abused by the people in charge… i cannot believe this is the same program, i am shocked at how many people this evil piece of shit has effected. i have to tell them, my god.
Beth Says:
June 22nd, 2007 at 8:47 pmVisit Beth
very moving, you write beautifully, Allison.Please keep on.
I know exactly what you all are talking about- 10 minutes with these charismatic (WWASP) types and you either give in completely without even knowing what you have done- or you feel like you are going completely mad and start fighting like a caged badger. A
Am trying to free my son- it is so evident in our time together how far under thier spell he is. It is so very difficult to get him to speak out and he conceals much that he has seen and been through. I am hoping he will have the courage to speak out as I have been sending various organizations into his facility to interview him.
I suspect the behavioral drugs he is on could be manipulated adding to the cultlike influence these people have. It sounds a bit paranoid, I suppose- but I am sure you all have had the same suspicions at times.
Please know that it isn’t in any way your fault, Allison- what happened to you or how you responded. You are not responsible. You are so very very brave for telling your story and sharing with others now.
If anyone has any information on Steve Cartisano or his current whereabouts- specifically connecting him to Arizona/Mesa,
please contact me. Thanks
Pray for my son, please, and his freedom
AZTreefrog34@AOL.com