Eagle Scout: Lawsuit Meant To Prevent Further Sexual Abuse From Boy Scout Leaders
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — A new lawsuit filed against the Boy Scouts of America claims a young, impressionable teen was courted and then molested by a troop leader he looked up to.
The lawsuit names a local chapter and the national Boy Scouts of America, saying they didn't keep a close eye on a scout leader who ended up raping a teen.
"As far as what happened, I was groomed, I didn't know it," said a young Eagle scout who we will identify as John because he is still a minor.
Flanked by his dad and a lawyer, he's telling his story of sexual abuse at the hand of a Boy Scout assistant troop leader.
"I joined Scouts with the image I'm going to help little old ladies across the street, carry groceries for people, help people," John said.
But what he found instead was Dustin Hendrick, an assistant troop leader in Redding who is now serving time in state prison for molesting John and another minor at a party in 2010.
The abuse surfaced after John's dad, a retired sheriff's deputy, found a love letter from Hendrick to his son, who was 15 at the time. Hendrick was an adult.
"This couldn't happen in Boy Scouts, I was assistant scoutmaster, I couldn't believe this happened," his dad said.
Now John is suing the Boy Scouts of America and the local Golden Empire Council, saying several people knew Hendrick had sexual contact with minors and they did nothing about it.
"There was rules in place and those rules were broken, people knew they were broken and people still did nothing about it," he said.
Rules, like not letting an adult scout leader be alone with a minor, which is something they say happened many times with the victim and Hendrick.
A spokesman for the local chapter said he couldn't comment on the lawsuit, but that Hendrick's behavior "runs counter to everything for which the Boy Scouts of America stands."
While John and his family are seeking monetary damages for the sexual abuse, John says it's about letting other kids that may be in his position to know it's OK to talk.
"It's OK to come forward, it's not easy; it's a terrible experience, but unless you say something it will never get better," he said.
