Sad News

[acco40]

The following was reported recently:

 

STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. -- A man who worked with children in Boy Scouts and several other youth groups is facing molestation charges.

 

Investigators said the man, 39, used his kindness and gifts to prey on his young victims. He was arrested at his home on Oct. 2 after a search warrant was executed in his home with evidence supporting allegations of criminal sexual conduct, police said.

 

"Obviously he is a sexual predator ... and a pedophile," Sterling Heights police Lt. Michael Reese said. "He's taking advantage of kids that either come from single families or parents have passed away."

 

A 19-year-old male accuser came forward last week saying he had been repeatedly molested by the accused in 1998 when he was 15 years old.

 

The accused is cooperating with detectives and has revealed that he has had sexual encounters with minors that have not been reported to police, according to officers. Detectives are trying to identify all of the possible victims.

 

The accused is involved with Boy Scout Troop No. 215 out of Carleton Middle School in Sterling Heights. He also works with children in the Macomb County Big Brothers and Sisters program and with a soccer league in Clinton Township, the station reported.

 

Neighbors -- who didn't want to be identified -- said they remember seeing Scouts at his home.

 

The accused is expected to be arraigned in Clinton Township Wednesday on three counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct -- which is punishable by up to life in prison -- and four counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct, according to police.

 

He was arraigned Friday in Sterling Heights on three counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct, which is a 15-year felony, according to police. A preliminary examination is scheduled for Oct. 14 in Sterling Heights.

 

He was also arraigned in Warren Tuesday on two counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct, according to police. A preliminary examination in Warren is scheduled for Oct. 16.

 

He is being held in the Macomb County Jail on a $300,000 bond.

 

The above was gleaned from a report by the local TV station (WDIV-TV). It hits close to home because it is in my district (the district in which I serve).(This message has been edited by acco40)

[SR540Beaver]

That is sad indeed. Hopefully with the new mandatory background checks in place, this kind of think will happen with less frequency. The only flaw is someone who has not been reported or caught in the past. Until we can read minds, that is the risk we live with. One thing is for sure, this guy will never ever be allowed to work in any other organization that does background checks.

[slontwovvy]

Hmm, a post-pubescent 15-year-old boy...If my hold on the English language serves me correctly, this guy isn't a pedophile, he's a homosexual.

[Fat Old Guy]

slontwovvy, gotta agree with you there. Legally, 15 year-olds are children but that's where the resemblence ends.

[le Voyageur]

A better word than homosexual for a male adult that preys on underage males in this case would be the prison and/or street slang tag of Chicken Hawk. Needless to say, when he gets to the cross bar hotel they'll have to keep him out of general population since he's at the bottom of the pecking order...guess he'll soon be on his way to becoming a bad man's girl friend, wonder what his thoughts will be when he becomes a rape victim...