Gregory Scott Haidl

Passions

Family

American skateboarder with a corporate sponsorship who was arrested and tried for his part in gang-raping an unconscious teenage girl on July 5, 2002. Haidl had videotaped the incident. Haidl is a slight youth, the son of Orange County assistant sheriff Don Haidl who became a millionaire through his business interests. Greg’s parents are divorced and while he spends time on weekends with his father in wealthy Corona del Mar in Orange County, he lives during the week with his mother Gail in more middle-class San Bernadino County. The first bad decision was made on July 4, 2002 when young Haidl invited some friends to a party at his father's luxurious seaside house in Corona del Mar. The drinking and partying by the pool continued even after the senior Haidl went to bed and some of the partiers began undressing and engaging in sexual activity. Greg and two of his friends had sex with one of the girls, a teen age minor, called Jane Doe in the press. The next morning, Greg admitted that he hadn't realized how wild the party had been and as he relived the night with his friends, they decided to repeat the party that evening, July 5th. They were admittedly drunk when the same Jane Doe showed up. Greg's father and his step-mother were in the main house but left, saying they trusted Greg completely. Haidl and the other defendants claimed that the gathering was a consensual sex party and assert that such parties are common among Orange County teens. He admits that they were drinking heavily and said "And she showed up and she started drinking. And then pretty much one thing led to another, and we just started making stupid decisions. The three boys and girl began engaging in sexual acts. Greg's interest in film prompted him to videotape the incident. The next day, Haidl left the videotape at another friend's house where it was given to a neighbor, a police officer. One week later, the three boys were arrested and charged with 24 felony counts including 17 counts of forcible rape while acting in concert. Don Haidl’s money bought a "dream-team" of lawyers and the prosecution made its case that the girl in the videotape was unconscious and had no ability to say yes to sex. Haidl's father called his son "an average teenage kid, very sensitive, very emotional." A year later and out on bail, Greg was stopped in San Clemente for allegedly having marijuana. He wasn't arrested but the additional publicity didn't help his case. The trial began in April 2004 but, the jury came to a deadlock, and the judge declared a mistrial on June 28, 2004. A week after the mistrial, Haidl was arrested again, this time for statutory rape of another 16-year old girl. This girl told police she consented but an investigation continues. Haidl was also tied to vandalism and trespassing. In November 2004, he allegedly drank alcohol, swallowed powerful painkillers, and crashed his brand-new car into oncoming traffic. His bail was revoked. . Greg's father has resigned as assistant sheriff. On December 4, 2004, he was subdued in jail with a taser gun for a termper tantrum that included a threat of suicide. Imprisoned, he sits in the mental health ward, facing another trial in January 2005. On March 10 2006 he was sentenced to six years in jail. He was released on January 26, 2008 before completing his sentence.