Statement

When I was serving as the Scout Executive / Executive Director of the Los Padres Council, BSA, we had a youth member sexually assaulted by one of his Troop leaders.  They were at a public parking lot selling Christmas trees as a fundraiser. 

The Troop was following the guidelines of Youth Protection required at the time, including having two adults present. Both leaders were trained in these Youth Protection guidelines. One leader was the abuser. The other was the victim's Mother.

The court records show that the Mother reported the abuse to me at approximately 4:00 pm. She did not call law enforcement, I did. After speaking with her, I notified both the Santa Barbara County Sheriff (the law enforcement agent for the City of Goleta where the abuse occurred) and Santa Barbara County Child Protective Services before leaving the office at 5 p.m.

There was never an allegation that my actions were insufficient or inappropriate. The claim against the organization was that the BSA Youth Protection Guidelines were insufficient to protect the youth victim.  

The Los Padres Council and the Boy Scouts of America decided to settle the civil case. I was not involved in that decision, as I was not accused of any wrong doing. 

Since this occurred almost two decades ago, I'm pleased that the BSA has strengthened its policies to protect youth members.