Today's USA Pervs and Pedos List > BSA Agreement; MO Governor Needs To Go; Another Daycare Evil; PA Fugitive; Dirty Old Oakley Man

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Boy Scouts of America reaches $850M agreement with victims

By RANDALL CHASE 

Associated Press 

FILE - In this Feb. 12, 2020 file photo, a statue stands outside the Boy Scouts of America headquarters

in Irving, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File)

DOVER, Del. (AP) — The Boy Scouts of America have reached an $850 million agreement with attorneys representing some 60,000 victims of child sex abuse in what could prove to be a pivotal moment in the organization’s bankruptcy case.

The agreement filed in court by BSA attorneys late Thursday would mark one of the largest sums in U.S. history involving cases of sexual abuse. The filing, known as a restructuring support agreement, includes the BSA, abuse victims, local Boy Scouts councils and lawyers appointed to represent victims who might file future claims.

“After months of intensive negotiations, the debtors have reached resolution with every single official and major creditor constituency,” BSA attorneys wrote.

The Boy Scouts of America sought bankruptcy protection in February 2020, moving to halt hundreds of lawsuits by men who were molested as youngsters decades ago by scoutmasters or other leaders. The filing was intended to try to reach a global resolution of abuse claims and create a compensation fund for victims.

But attorneys for the Irving, Texas-based BSA had previously been unable to reach agreement with victims, local Boy Scout councils and insurers on how to compensate victims while allowing the 111-year-old organization to continue operating.

Thursday's agreement signals the BSA’s acknowledgment that disagreements remain between attorneys representing abuse victims and those representing the BSA’s insurers.

In an earlier court filing Thursday, attorneys for certain insurance companies accused the BSA of allowing attorneys for abuse victims to rewrite the BSA’s restructuring plan to favor their clients.

“With only the fox guarding the henhouse, the outcome is utterly at odds with what BSA itself asserted was necessary for a confirmable plan and is permissible under the bankruptcy code,” the insurers wrote.

Attorneys for insurers appear to be concerned, among other things, that decisions regarding insurance coverage issues would be made without their input.

Meanwhile, attorneys for the Boy Scouts are also asking for U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Laurie Selber Silverstein to declare that they have no obligation to seek court approval of a previously announced settlement with The Hartford, one of the BSA’s insurers.

The Hartford agreed to pay $650 million into the victims' trust in exchange for being released from any further obligations under policies dating to 1971.

The Hartford settlement was roundly criticized by attorneys for abuse victims, who estimate the insurer’s liability exposure at several billion dollars. They made it clear that victims would not support any plan that includes the Hartford settlement.

The Boy Scouts have said that between $2.4 billion and $7.1 billion, including insurance rights, might be available for abuse victims. Attorneys for a committee that acts as a fiduciary representative of all victims in the bankruptcy case have estimated the value of some 82,500 sexual abuse claims at about $103 billion.

Matthew Sturdevant, a spokesperson for The Hartford, said the company's agreement with the Boy Scouts “is a crucial building block to move this bankruptcy case toward a conclusion.”

“We are disappointed that the Boy Scouts of America have chosen to flout the organization’s tenet of keeping promises by seeking to discard a thoughtfully negotiated and mutually agreed upon deal that appropriately values The Hartford’s obligations," Sturdevant said in an email.

In a joint statement, representatives for the victims as well as future claimants representative said the restructuring support agreement will allow the Boy Scouts to emerge from bankruptcy “while providing meaningful compensation to the victims, and holding the Boy Scouts’ insurers to the terms of the insurance policies purchased by the Boy Scouts and their affiliates over many decades.”

In a revised plan submitted barely two weeks ago, the BSA offered to issue an $80 million promissory note to a trust fund for abuse victims. It also proposed maneuvers to make up to $50 million in additional cash available for abuse survivors. The proposed changes would increase the BSA’s proposed contribution to as much as roughly $250 million, more than doubling a prior plan.

Under a new plan expected to be filed Friday, the BSA’s 250-odd local councils would contribute $600 million into the fund for abuse victims, doubling an offer from earlier this year. Under the plan, the BSA and local councils would be released from liability in return for their contributions to the victims fund.

A hearing in the case is schedule for July 20.

Governor's veto a ‘sucker punch’ to group fighting rise in child sex abuse

Kurt Erickson

Stl Today

JEFFERSON CITY — A state lawmaker and local officials are “baffled” by Gov. Mike Parson’s decision to slash $300,000 from the state budget for a program designed to fight a surge of child sex abuse in Lincoln County.

Rep. Randy Pietzman, R-Troy, said the budget is flush with cash, meaning cutting the money doesn’t make sense from a fiscal management standpoint.

He said he called the governor’s office before the official action took place last week after hearing the money might be in danger. “I begged him. I told them the budget is fat with money. We’ve got a problem here and we have a plan to address it,” Pietzman said.

Cheri Winchester, executive director of the Lincoln County Resource Board, which supported Pietzman’s effort to get the money inserted into the spending plan, said she was shocked at Parson’s action.

“I can’t make sense of it just knowing his background as a law enforcement officer, being a father and a grandfather. These are Missouri kids who are being hurt and abused,” Winchester said. “I feel like it’s a sucker punch. I’m still quite baffled. I don’t understand.”

In signing the budget last week, Parson vetoed $155 million from the $35 billion spending blueprint, including the money for a pilot program designed to help children who may be victims of sex offenders in Lincoln County, which is north of St. Charles County on the edge of the St. Louis metropolitan area.

The $300,000 would have paid for additional investigators, an additional prosecutor and support staff to address a growing number of sex offenders who live in the county.

In his veto message, Parson, a Republican who once served as a county sheriff, said the spending was not necessary. “This item was not part of my budget recommendations. Additionally, it is an earmark for the benefit of a single county,” the governor wrote.

It is not uncommon, however, for the Legislature to insert money into the budget that will benefit a specific city or county. The budget he signed, for example, includes money for literacy programs in St. Louis and St. Joseph and a Route 66 festival in Springfield.

A Parson spokeswoman did not respond to a request for comment.

Pietzman said he believes more sex offenders are coming to Lincoln County because of state laws restricting how close they can live to schools, day cares and parks. In St. Charles and St. Louis counties, denser populations mean there are fewer places for sex offenders to live.

Winchester said Lincoln County had 681 reported incidents of child abuse and neglect in 2019, a 9.3% increase from 2011.

'We've got to start somewhere'

According to the Missouri Department of Social Services, the number of substantiated cases of abuse and neglect increased to include 6.3 substantiated cases for every 1,000 children, which is the highest rate in the state.

Pietzman said his concerns about children being targeted was one of the main reasons he ran for office. “We were trying to come up with some sort of a plan. We’ve got to start somewhere,” he said.

Parson’s veto came as the state ended the fiscal year on June 30 with record revenue. The state budget office shows Missouri topped $11.2 billion in net general revenue, which is up by more than 25% over last year and nearly $2 billion over what was collected in 2019.

Individual income taxes, which comprise the largest share of Missouri’s revenue, were up more than 28% in 2021. Sales tax collections were up 6.7%.

Pietzman said he is not sure if he will press his colleagues in the Legislature to reverse the governor’s action when they reconvene in September for their annual veto session. But he said he thinks he’d be successful if he did. “I think we can override the veto,” Pietzman said.

In the meantime, Winchester said the next steps for the local effort have not been determined. But, she added, “We aren’t going to stop or delay our efforts to protect our kids.”

Like too many other politicians, Parson doesn't get the incredible amount of child sex abuse that occurs and the devastation that it brings upon its victims and their families. It's time for Parson to retire!

Iowa Man Faces Multiple Charges For Allegedly

Sexually Abusing A Child in Daycare

Tue 7-6-2021

(Estherville)-- Estherville police have charged a man in connection with an investigation into a child sex abuse case.

Police say they received a report from a local daycare center on June 22nd of this year regarding a female child who had been sexually abused. The child victim was interviewed at the Child Advocacy Center in Sioux City. Estherville police say that, in turn, resulted in officers interviewing a suspect in the case, Paul Hageman, this past Friday.

Following that interview, police arrested Hageman and charged him with three counts of sexual abuse in the 2nd degree, three counts of lascivious acts with a child, one count of incest and one count of child endangerment.

Police say Hageman was caring for the child at the time the alleged incident occurred.

Hageman was being held in the Emmet county jail on a $200,000 cash only bond.

People, please don't allow men to care for your children. Don't leave your children in a daycare where men are present. There are dozens of stories on this blog of men in daycares and children being victimized. It's not worth it; you can ruin your child's whole life!

State police seek child sex abuse suspect last seen in New Castle

Tyler Alan Bowen, 22, is wanted on charges connected to an incident in May 2020

  WTAE

Updated: 7:31 AM EDT Jul 2, 2021

Nick Matoney 

MERCER, Pa. — 

State police in Mercer County are asking for the public’s help in locating a child sex abuse suspect last seen in New Castle, Lawrence County.

State police said there is an active arrest warrant for Tyler Alan Bowen, 22, on charges including rape, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, unlawful contact with a minor, sexual assault, sexual abuse of children, statutory sexual assault and indecent assault.

While details about the alleged incident Bowen is charged in weren’t immediately available, online court records show it occurred in May 2020 in Mercer County.

Anyone with information about Bowen’s whereabouts should contact their local police.

Oakley, Id old man sentenced to prison for child sexual abuse

Laurie Welch 

Jun 29, 2021 

BURLEY — An Oakley man was sentenced Monday to five to 10 years in prison for sexually abusing a child multiple times in 2013 while he was babysitting the girl and her siblings.

Randy Eldun Arterburn, 67, was originally charged in June 2019 with lewd conduct with a child under 16, battery with intent to commit a serious felony and forcible penetration by use of a foreign object.

Arterburn used an Alford plea on the charge of lewd conduct and the other two charges were dismissed by the prosecutor.

By using an Alford plea a defendant claims to be innocent or does not admit to all the elements of a charge, but admits prosecutors likely have enough evidence to find them guilty.

Cassia County District Judge Michael Tribe sentenced Arterburn to a minimum of five years in the Idaho State Department of Correction and five years of indeterminate time, which includes the enhancement penalty.

He was also ordered to pay a $5,000 fine for committing a crime of violence, $100 for a presentence report and $250 for his public defender. He was given credit for serving 33 days in jail.

Arterburn will also be required to register as a sex offender when he is released from prison.

Single Foster Dad, BSA, Predators, Predators Lead Today's USA Pervs n Pedos List

Vegas man charged with sexually assaulting
at least 12 kids

By Alexis Egeland Las Vegas Review-Journal

Las Vegas police last week arrested a man suspected of sexually assaulting at least a dozen children.

Michael Hines, 46, was arrested Friday and later charged with 11 counts of sexual assault with a victim under 14, one count of sexual assault with a victim under 16, one count of open or gross lewdness, four counts of using or permitting a minor under 14 to produce pornography, 17 counts of child abuse or neglect, two counts of luring a child or mentally ill person to engage in sex, one count of possessing child pornography and one count of lewdness with a child under 14, jail records show.

Hines is being held at the Clark County Detention Center. His next court appearance is scheduled for June 5.

Lawsuit: Sex abuse by Boy Scouts of America's Montana Council leaders date back to 1955

Traci Rosenbaum, Great Falls Tribune

As the May 6 deadline to file cases approaches, lawsuits against the Boy Scouts of America's Montana Council continue to emerge, alleging a pattern of sexual abuse by scout leaders going back decades and multiple allegations that BSA had knowledge of its volunteers’ predatory behavior.

Billings law firm Edmiston and Colton issued a news release stating that, together with firm Crew Janci LLP out of Portland, Ore., it has brought suits in Cascade County District Court on behalf of multiple victims from Great Falls, Helena, Forsyth and Hamilton.

The allegations stretch back to as early as 1955, and the oldest plaintiff is now 79 years old.

The Associated Press reported Wednesday that three other cases have been filed in Great Falls.

The suits are allowed under a 2019 Montana law that extended the time during which people can sue entities that should have known about child sexual abuse and allegedly failed to report it, the AP reports.

The one-year “lookback window” closes May 6.

Other states, including California, New Jersey and New York, also have currently active windows allowing victims to file suit no matter how long ago the alleged abuse occurred.

“Many survivors and advocates worked long and hard to get statute of limitations reforms passed in these states,” said Stephen Crew, one of the attorneys for the victims. “Whatever the intent, the reality is that the Boy Scouts’ bankruptcy filing will override the work of the legislature in several of these states and impose much shorter time limitations for victims of abuse in the Scouts to bring their claims.”

Paul Grosvold bows his head in prayer during a Boy Scouts court of honor meeting. Although the Montana Council of the Boy Scouts of America says scouting is safer than ever, the organization currently faces multiple lawsuits over sexual abuse lawyers say stretches back decades. (Photo: TRIBUNE PHOTO/JULIA MOSS)

Bankruptcy and settlements

The national Boy Scouts corporation filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in February, but its more than 270 local chapters, including the Montana Council, did not file bankruptcy at that time.

“Over many years, we’ve developed some of the strongest expert-informed youth protection policies found in any youth-serving organization," the Montana Council told the Tribune following the announcement. "I can also assure you that our volunteers and employees take youth protection extremely seriously and do their part to help keep kids safe."

Crew said his Montana clients have claims against the national organization as well, but attorneys are prohibited from filing lawsuits against them in state court because of the BSA’s bankruptcy filing.

The Montana Council has already settled two lawsuits, one in 2017 and the other in 2019, filed by a combined six female plaintiffs who were part of a Kalispell Explorer post who said they were abused by Scout leader William H. Leininger Jr. from 1974-1975.

Crew Janci has represented more than 100 abuse victims from across the U.S. against the Boy Scouts over the last decade and won a $19.9 million verdict that forced the release of the organization’s secret “perversion files” that contained the BSA’s internal concerns about its volunteers’ sexual behavior, some of which were substantiated by court proceedings.

A list of people identified in these files on the firm’s website contains nearly 1,300 names, and the documents are available there to download.

Former Great Falls Boy Scout leader Roger Maddox is the subject of one of several lawsuits against the scouts' Montana Council alleging it did not sufficiently protect children against sexual abuse. The photo and quote are from a 1989 Great Falls Tribune article on the allegations against Maddox and his subsequent suicide. (Photo: GREAT FALLS TRIBUNE)

A paper trail rolling back decades

The AP reported that BSA has kept these almost since its inception, and files released through other court cases allege that more than 12,000 boys have been molested by 7,800 perpetrators.

At least two of the pending suits involve allegations against former Great Falls scout leader Roger S. Maddox, who was an assistant scoutmaster from approximately 1970 through 1984, according to court documents.

A file was created on Maddox by the BSA in 1987 when it was brought to their attention that he had been charged with felony sexual assault on a 14-year-old boy in 1986.

Court documents allege Maddox sexually abused two young boys between 1964 and 1970, and attorneys allege the Montana Council did not make an effort to investigate or identify earlier victims after Maddox’s arrest became known to them.

There is considerably more on this story. Please find it on the Great Falls Tribune.

Police looking for suspect who sexually assaulted children, ages 4 & 12, in Baton Rouge, La, home

WBRZ By: Chris Nakamoto

BATON ROUGE- Baton Rouge Police are searching for a male who sexually assaulted a 4-year-old and a 12-year-old in a Baton Rouge home this week. 

Police said the assault took place at a home on Cadillac Street. The children's siblings reported the assault to their parents who notified police. 

Right now the children are cooperating, according to Baton Rouge Police spokesman L'Jean McKneely. McKneely said the kids provided detectives with a nickname of the suspect, and police are now following those leads. Police declined to release further details about the suspect. 

Brittany Hunt is the Justice Systems coordinator for the Louisiana Foundation Against Sexual Assault. "For juvenile survivors of sexual assaults, therapy is a vital step in getting them to a more healthy place," Hunt said. "We will work with them in an age-appropriate and trauma-informed way to talk about what they experienced and discuss healthy coping mechanisms."

Sources at a juvenile court said after the stay-at-home order was issued, crime went down. On some weeks, there were zero arrests. However, that was short-lived, and things are getting back to normal over the past couple of weeks.

"Unfortunately, sexual assault is very common, especially for children," Hunt said. "People don't talk about it enough, and it is really important that with the right services and response a child can heal from this. That's not something they are doomed to have, all of these negative outcomes. Children are extremely resilient, and if they get the right response from, not only a therapist, but family and those around them they can heal from this."

The Children's Advocacy Center in Baton Rouge are the first responders on the front lines for children in trouble. Toni Bankston with the Children's Advocacy Center said right now with kids being out of school, more supervision is needed on juveniles. Sometimes sex crimes are first reported at school, and right now children may not have that outlet. 

If you or someone you know has been affected, there are free resources to seek help. 

1. Baton Rouge Children's Advocacy Center – They provide Trauma-informed, and child-focused services in the aftermath of abuse and violent crime.

626 East BLVD.

(225) 343-1984

2. STAR- (Sexual Trauma Awareness and Response) Provide supportive services to survivors to reduce their experience of trauma.

(855) – 435-STAR

Capital Area Branch

5615 Corporate BLVD, Suite 200

(225) 615-7093

3. Capital Area Human Services – Crisis Intervention Center 

1-(800) 272-8367

Sutton, Neb, man arrested on sex trafficking,
child abuse charges

by KHGI

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. — An arrest involving human trafficking and sexual exploitation was made today after an extensive investigation was conducted by the Nebraska State Patrol and Clay County Sheriff's Office.

Linus Cloet, 58, of Sutton, was arrested in Clay County this morning on charges of sex trafficking of a minor, child abuse, three counts of pandering, and two counts of solicitation. Cloet was lodged in Clay County Jail, according to the NSP.

NSP encourages anyone with additional information regarding this matter to call the Nebraska State Patrol Troop C office at 308-385-6000.

Salvadoran indicted on child sex crime charges

in Wichita Falls, Tx

Trish Choate, Wichita Falls Times Record News

An immigrant from El Salvador is accused of sexually molesting three young girls at his Wichita Falls home, according to court documents.

Juan Jose Medrano, 62, was free Thursday from Wichita County Jail on $125,000 in bonds, according to online jail records.

A Wichita County grand jury indicted Medrano on five counts of child sex crimes, according to an indictment filed April 15 in the District Clerk's Office. 

Medrano is a permanent resident with permission to work in the United States, according to court records and testimony in a Sept. 25 bail hearing.

Medrano is charged with the following offenses:

Indecency with a child younger than 17 by sexual contact on or about Jan. 1, 2010.

Two counts of aggravated sexual assault of a second child younger than 14 on or about Jan. 1, 2018, and Jan. 18, 2018.

Two counts of aggravated sexual assault of a third child younger than 14 on or about Jan. 1, 2016. 

All of the charges except indecency with a child are first degree felonies. Indecency with a child is a second degree felony. A first degree felony is punishable by up to life in prison. 

Juan Jose Medrano, right, is in 78th District Court for a bond hearing Sept. 25 as shown in this Sept. 29 file photo. Wichita County Chief Felony Prosecutor Dobie Kosub, left, advocated against Medrano's bail being lowered from $350,000. (Photo: Trish Choate/Times Record News)

During the Sept. 25 bond hearing in 78th District Court, Wichita County Chief Felony Prosecutor Dobie Kosub told presiding Judge Jim Hogan that Medrano fled to California when he learned about the sex crimes charges against him. 

Defense attorney Bob Estrada pointed out that Medrano came back to Wichita Falls to face the charges. 

The defendant's brother-in-law testified that he heard Medrano went to California because someone was "talking about beating him up," and his mother was in the hospital. 

In addition, the brother-in-law told the judge that Medrano's character is "pretty good," and he has seven grandchildren. 

After the bail hearing, Hogan lowered Medrano's his bonds from $350,000 to $125,000 total. 

Hogan also set conditions for Medrano's release: He must reside at his family home in Wichita Falls, can't have contact with any child under 18, must wear a GPS ankle monitor and has to report to Wichita County adult probation officials at 10 a.m. every Monday. 

Police affidavits gave this account: On March 25, 2019, a Wichita Falls detective was investigating the possible sexual abuse of a 5-year-old. 

A child's mother said her 13-year-old daughter disclosed that Medrano molested her when she was 5. The mother said the molestation came to light after her 4-year-old niece disclosed that Medrano had sexually abused her.

During a forensic interview at Patsy's House, the 13-year-old described sitting on Medrano's lap while he touched her inappropriately when she was younger.  

Also on March 25, 2019, a mother reported that Medrano had been molesting her 6-year-old daughter since the child was around 4- or 5-years old. Sexual assaults were alleged to have happened on or around Jan. 1, 2016. 

The detective also received information that Medrano sexually molested a 4-year-old.

During a forensic interview at Patsy's House, the 4-year-old described Medrano sexually abusing her on two separate occasions after she had taken a bath. The alleged abuse took place in January 2018. 

Sex abuse of girl allegedly spanned three years,
leading to Fenton, NY, man's arrest

Anthony Borrelli, Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin

A Town of Fenton man allegedly began sexually abusing a girl when she was about 9 years old, and it spanned three years.

Cairo A. Amador Jr., 59, was taken into custody April 22 and charged with a felony count of predatory sexual assault against a child, following an investigation by the Broome County Sheriff's Office. That investigation, which began in March, remains open.

Court documents say Amador allegedly abused the now 14-year-old girl from 2014 until 2017. He's accused of an oral sexual act and intercourse with the victim.

So, she was between 9 and 11 years old while he was abusing her; and he was in his 50s. It's an ugly picture to have in your mind.

The crimes allegedly took place at an address on Route 369. Amador was arrested at his home there after the sheriff's office arrived with a search warrant.

Evidence supporting the accusation was recovered from the residence, according to the sheriff's office, which has not revealed what prompted the investigation or how Amador came into contact with the girl.

The charge Amador faces is the most serious sex crime in New York State's criminal law, and it could mean at least 10 years to life in prison if he's convicted. 

The predatory sexual assault charge in this case alleges Amador was at least 18 years old when the crime took place, and a specific sex offense was committed against a victim under 13 years old over the span of more than three months.

Specific sex offenses forming the basis of the predatory charge include first-degree rape, first-degree criminal sexual act, first-degree aggravated sexual abuse or first-degree course of sexual conduct against a child.

Amador has been sent to the Broome County jail to await his next court appearance.

Port Crane was the original name of Fenton, NY

Addiction to child abuse pornography

lands St Augustine, Fla, man in jail

After members of the Internet Crimes Against Children unit learned that 37-year-old Joel Santos Esposito is a self-proclaimed sex addict, investigators brought the local man to the sheriff’s office for an interview.  During the interview, Esposito said that he regularly views child porn on his Apple iPhone XR. 

He told investigators that he saved several child porn photos in a hidden folder on his phone. Esposito allowed detectives to look through his phone, where they discovered 39-images; 31 were deemed to be “child sexual abuse imagery”.  The graphic photos dated back to 2007 and had been downloaded as recently as Monday.  They showed young girls as young as 7-years-old engaged in sex acts, the report states.

Descriptions of several of the videos are available at: historic city. They are too disgusting for this blog.

Northern Kentucky man arrested, accused of sexually abusing his foster children and adopted child

WLWT Digital Staff

FLORENCE, Ky. —
A Northern Kentucky man is accused of sexually abusing his foster children and adopted child, according to the Boone County Sheriff's Office.

Deputies arrested Harry Forgue, 28, of Florence Friday night after a lengthy investigation into the alleged abuse.

According to the Sheriff's Office, the victims were all boys, preteen to teenagers, and were living with Forgue when the abuse occurred. The boys were interviewed and one told authorities that he had been abused by Forgue for years.

Deputies learned through investigating Forgue's phone that he had installed several pinhole cameras throughout the home. Deputies found several pictures and videos of the children using the restroom, unaware that they were being recorded. Deputies also found photos of the boys posing nude on Forgue's phone.

Deputies said the children told them that they would have to perform sexual acts when they were in trouble or wanted to get privileges back, such as access to their phones.

Authorities charged Forgue with one count of sodomy in the first degree with a victim under 12, two counts of sodomy in the third degree, three counts of sexual abuse in the first degree with a victim under 12, three counts of sexual abuse in the first degree, six counts of video voyeurism, three counts of incest -- forcible compulsion/incapable of consent, six counts of promoting a sexual performance by a minor, one count of possess/view matter portraying a sexual performance by a minor and one count of prohibited use of electronic communication systems to procure a minor.

Forgue is currently being held at the Boone County Detention Center on a $250,000 cash bond.

Should single men, I'm assuming he's single, be allowed to foster children? I'm inclined to believe that it's a tragedy waiting to happen, and people like Forgue make my point.

Acworth, N.H. resident accused of

sexually assaulting child

By PAUL CUNO-BOOTH Sentinel Staff 

ACWORTH — A local man was arrested Friday on sexual assault and other charges.

Stephen Gay, 25, of Acworth, is being held at the Sullivan County jail in Unity pending his arraignment Monday, according to a news release from N.H. State Police.

In June, police began investigating allegations that Gay “engaged in a pattern of sexual assault against a child under 16 years old,” the release said. A State Police detective obtained a warrant for his arrest Friday.

Gay is charged with aggravated felonious sexual assault, perjury, falsifying physical evidence and possession of child sex abuse images, the release said. It does not further detail the allegations against him.

Boy Scouts Ban on Gay Adults 'Unsustainable'

Boy Scouts' chief, Robert Gates, says ban on gay adults 'unsustainable'

From BBC US & Canada

Mr Gates, seen in this photo from May 2014, was the US Defense Secretary
when the US Congress repealed a ban on openly gay service members

The head of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) has said that the organisation's long-standing ban on participation by openly gay adults is unsustainable.

Robert Gates said no changes would be made at the meeting, but opened the door to a future policy review.

The former US Defence Secretary cited defiant chapters, possible legal challenges and other developments related to gay rights in the US.

Gay rights groups have welcomed Mr Gates' comments.

"The status quo in our movement's membership standards cannot be sustained," Robert Gates said at the group's annual meeting in Atlanta.

However, he raised the possibility that the organisation could revise its policy to allow local chapters to decide for themselves whether to allow gay adults to serve as leaders.

In 2013, the national organisation decided to allow openly gay youth to participate as scouts, but kept its ban on adults in place. That came into effect in January of 2014, and was the result of a bitter internal debate.

Mr Gates, who was in charge of the US military when congress voted to repeal the ban on openly gay service members, became the BSA's president in May 2014. Upon assuming office, Mr Gates said that he personally would have favoured ending the ban on gay adults. However, he did not want any further debate on the issue at that time.

On Thursday, he said recent developments "have confronted us with urgent challenges I did not foresee and which we cannot ignore".

Citing a defiant chapter in New York that recently hired an openly gay summer camp leader and other developments related to gay rights in the US, Mr Gates said: "We must deal with the world as it is, not as we might wish it to be."

Pascal Tessier (C), seen in this photo from February 2014, was hired by a
New York boy scout chapter in April of this year,
in defiance of the BSA's ban of gay leaders
Tessier and two other scouts holding hands in an activity

Change is imminent

"I remind you of the recent debates we have seen in places like Indiana and Arkansas over discrimination based on sexual orientation, not to mention the impending US Supreme Court decision this summer on gay marriage," he said.

He seems pretty confident on which way that will go.

He said that while the BSA had the power to revoke the charters of local chapters that defied the ban on gay adults, doing so would be harmful to boy scouts in those regions.

Mr Gates also said that laws prohibiting employment discrimination based on sexual orientation that have been passed in many states could open the BSA up to extensive legal battles.

"Between internal challenges and potential legal conflicts, the BSA finds itself in an unsustainable position, a position that makes us vulnerable to the possibility the courts simply will order us at some point to change our membership policy," he said.

Groups that campaign against the ban have welcomed Mr Gates' comments.

What about those who think the ban should stay? What do they think? You can't argue with Gates' statements, but it will be interesting to see if, or how, removing such a ban affects enrollment. My guess is that it will not be positive.

"It seems like the Boy Scouts will continue an internal dialogue about the subject and that a change within the next year or two is imminent," said Zach Wahls of Scouts for Equality.