In a harrowing tale that has gripped the community, a father from Utah faces severe charges after a perilous hiking expedition with his young children ended in their hospitalization. Just a week before this incident, he had a troubling encounter with law enforcement, during which he accused his wife of infidelity.

Micah Smith, aged 32, finds himself detained at the Salt Lake City Metro Jail, where he is held without the possibility of bond. He faces numerous felony charges, including aggravated child abuse and torture, stemming from a life-threatening hike in the Wasatch Mountains that took place in October.

The incident has shocked many, as Smith’s two sons, aged two and four, along with his eight-year-old daughter, were left in critical condition. One of his sons even suffered a stroke as a result of severe hypothermia, highlighting the gravity of their ordeal.

Following these events, Smith, who is currently estranged from his wife Samantha, remains in police custody. A court hearing is scheduled for January 6, where more details are expected to emerge.

The Daily Mail has brought to light a police report from October 4 that provides insight into Smith’s mindset leading up to the disastrous hike. The report reveals that police in Cottonwood Heights stopped Smith around 9:45 a.m. after noticing his white GMC Sierra truck lacked a license plate. This encounter occurred just days before the fateful hike, during which Smith voiced suspicions of his wife’s alleged infidelity.

According to the October 4 report, Cottonwood Heights police spotted the father-of-three pulled over at the side of the road in his white GMC Sierra truck around 9.45am after noticing the vehicle had no license plate.

Inside was a bleary-eyed Smith who admitted to officers that he had no insurance, driver’s license, or plate – resulting in multiple citations. 

When asked if he had been smoking weed, Smith said no but ‘advised he was not telling [the officer] he was sober’, the report states. 

He went on to tell police: ‘I’m going through a really hard time. Can’t even believe my wife’s cheating on me. She didn’t come home unt[il] [redacted] kids.’

Micah Smith, made a virtual court appearance, as remains locked up in Salt Lake City Metro Jail, pending a January court hearing for multiple felony counts of aggravated child abuse and child torture

The father-of-three was arrested late last month after taking his two sons and daughter – aged two, four, and eight – on a dangerous trek through the Wasatch Mountains in October 

He also told the officer he was looking for the Lone Peak trailhead and planned to go hiking but denied he was planning to kill himself.

He also insisted he had no intentions to kill his wife or his wife’s lover, though he admitted he had firearms in the vehicle, including a handgun, an AR-15 rifle, and an ax – all of which were confiscated due to the officer’s concern over ‘Smith’s mental state’. 

Smith’s truck was also impounded with cops noting that after a friend arrived to collect him, the weapons were returned minus their magazines.

Just one week later, on October 11, Smith embarked on a hike through the Broads Fork Trail in Big Cottonwood Canyon that would upend his family’s life. 

The dad and children were reported missing later in the day after becoming stranded on a mountain overnight in near-freezing temperatures. 

The four were rescued the next morning, when search and rescue units found the family suffering from severe hypothermia – with the youngest two children left unconscious.

The older son, four-year-old Ezra, had to endure 25 minutes of CPR after being found ‘lifeless’ and later suffered a stroke while being treated at the Primary Children’s Hospital of Utah – forcing doctors to remove part of his skull to save his life.

Smith’s encounter with police in early October has come to light after his estranged wife Samantha, 29, told cops last month that the couple was divorcing following a domestic incident at a Salt Lake City Airbnb she has been renting since the incident to be closer to her children.

The Daily Mail has learned that just a week before the hike, Smith had an encounter with police – during which he claimed his wife was cheating on him 

Samantha Smith has been mount

Smith’s wife Samantha, 29, has since told police that the couple are in the midst of a divorce 

The devoted mom has staged a daily vigil at her son Ezra’s bedside – in stark contrast to Smith who was booted from the hospital on November 10 for allegedly ‘interfering’ with his son’s treatment and for ‘attempting to interfere’ with medical equipment.

Until October, Smith and Samantha had been living an outwardly idyllic existence in a four-bedroom rental home in the Salt Lake City suburb of South Jordan.

But the tragic hike turned the family’s life upside down – with the couple’s marriage deteriorating rapidly and culminating in a fight at the Airbnb that saw Smith allegedly threaten his wife with a hatchet.

The November 15 drama saw Smith nabbed by police and hit with two more charges – one of misdemeanor assault and another of destroying a communications device.

Referring to the fateful hike in a motion for pre-trial detention, Salt Lake City District Attorney Sim Gill characterized Smith’s behavior as ‘extremely selfish.’ 

The veteran prosecutor wrote that ‘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 his kids’.

He also noted that Smith had been ‘ill-prepared’ and made the trip with minimal supplies that included several cans of tuna, five bottles of water and some pretzels.

In a police interview, Smith admitted that he hadn’t checked trail reports or the weather before starting the trek up the treacherous Broads Fork Trail in the Wasatch Mountains.

Smith is facing child abuse and torture charges after taking his children, aged two, four and eight on a nine-mile trek through the Big Cottonwood Canyon, causing all three to become hypothermic 

His four-year-old son remains critically ill at Salt Lake City’s Primary Children’s Hospital after suffering a stroke, charging documents say

Despite the children being exhausted and struggling, the four managed to make it to the summit.

According to charging documents, eight-year-old Ember had begged her dad to let them leave – only to be told ‘you shall not pass’.

It was then that a storm rolled in, showering the youngsters with freezing snow, hail and rain and soaking their clothes.

Meanwhile, Smith was involved in a text fight with his wife, who begged him to bring their kids down – at one point, responding to a message with: ‘child endangerment. Not cool.’

Despite repeated follow-up texts, Smith and the children only made it 600ft back down the trail where they were found by Search and Rescue, 24 hours after setting out.

By that point, both boys were unconscious and ‘appeared lifeless’ while all three were suffering from extreme hypothermia after temperatures dipped to lows of 34F during the night.

Smith, meanwhile, was described as appearing unconcerned about his children’s welfare and even telling rescuers one of the children had died.