Rothenberg Called Still a Threat to Son : Courts: Documents say he talked to inmates of kidnaping the boy and killing his mother and her husband. He is ordered to keep away from all three and says he will obey. He denies any harmful intent.

By GREG HERNANDEZ

Sept. 23, 1993 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

Charles Rothenberg, freed from parole this week a decade after setting his 6-year-old son afire in a Buena Park motel, remains a danger to his son and talked to other inmates while in prison about killing his former wife and her husband and kidnaping his son, according to court documents.

Rothenberg, in a telephone interview Wednesday from his home in San Francisco, denied the accusations and said he does not plan to contact his son, David, or other members of the family.

The claims against Rothenberg were made in an application for a restraining order that was issued Sept. 10 in Orange County Superior Court. The order forbids him to come within 100 yards of his son, now named David Jordan Robinson; his former wife, Marie Hafdahl, or her husband, Buena Park Police Lt. Thomas R. Hafdahl.

Rothenberg, 53, is also banned from making any kind of contact with the three, either by telephone or mail, and from coming within 100 yards of their homes, their workplaces and school, which are in Orange, Los Angeles and Riverside counties.

David, who received third-degree burns over 90% of his body, had his most recent reconstructive surgery Aug. 20 and is “terrified” of his father, court records state.

The family has refused to comment on Rothenberg’s recent release from parole.

Rothenberg, who was the most closely guarded parolee in the state system, said he plans to abide by the order but claims that some of the information in it “is drummed up.”

“They said I was going to kidnap my son or hurt my son,” Rothenberg said. “That was an unfounded thing and I was exonerated of that.”

State Department of Corrections spokesman Tipton C. Kindel said Wednesday that Rothenberg had no serious disciplinary problems while in prison. Kindel said he could not confirm whether there was a formal investigation into the claims made by the other inmates.

Rothenberg was sentenced to 13 years in prison in 1983 after he pleaded guilty to charges of attempted murder and arson in an attack on his son. He was freed from prison in 1990 and completed his parole, complete with electronic surveillance equipment and round-the-clock guards, at midnight Monday.

In seeking the restraining order, Marie Hafdahl said that when Rothenberg was about to be released from prison in 1989, her husband, Thomas Hafdahl, received letters from two separate prison inmates. One inmate wrote that Rothenberg had asked about which countries the United States has extradition treaties with “so if he has a chance to grab David,” he would know where to go.

Another inmate wrote three letters in which he said that “all (Rothenberg) talked about was being reunited with his son,” and he talked about killing Marie and Thomas Hafdahl, court records show.

Rothenberg said the letters were written by inmates who were seeking “their 15 minutes of fame” and wanted to score points with the parole board.

“They could never prove or disprove it,” Rothenberg said. “I offered to take a lie-detector test.”

The application for the restraining order describes a history of abuse by Rothenberg toward his son and his former wife.

In addition to detailing the fire that disfigured his son, the order included copies of a 1978 divorce petition which states that Rothenberg struck his then-wife in the head and body and threatened further abuse on several occasions.

Violation of the restraining order, issued by Orange County Superior Court Judge Betty J. Farrell, could result in Rothenberg being sent back to prison, being fined, or both.

“I’m not going to Orange County, anyway,” Rothenberg said. “We all have to get on with our lives.”