The local Boy Scouts of America organization was hit with a lawsuit this week, after an adult assistant scout master was found to have sexually abused a minor Eagle Scout.
During a news conference Tuesday, the Eagle Scout, a 17-year-old from Chico referred to in the lawsuit only as John Doe, spoke out about the ordeal and urged other childhood sexual assault victims to come forward.
“I was led into developing a relationship during which I was molested and raped,” John said, holding back tears. “My point today is to make a message … that 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.”
His attorney, Joseph C. George of Sacramento, declined to disclose the victim’s name because he is a minor. The perpetrator, Dustin Hedrick, was 21 and 22 at the time he sexually assaulted John in 2010 and 2012, according to the lawsuit filed Monday in Sacramento Superior Court. George said Hedrick made repeated sexual overtures via social media during that period of time.
The lawsuit charges that as an assistant scout master, Hedrick used “the power, authority and trust of his positions” to entice John into criminal child sexual acts.
Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article19181649.html
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