Western Region Chief

[FloridaScout]

I just got back from NOAC with some disturbing news. The Western Region Chief has resigned...Well this should be in the OA section some of you say but wait here is theoffical reason givin be the regin chairman:

 

A Note from the Region Chairman

 

As some of you may know, for personal reasons the 2004 Region Chief Tim Wallace has resigned from office effective July 30, 2004. We wish Tim the best in his future endeavors and thank him for his service to the Region and to the Order of the Arrow.

 

The National Chief of the Order of the Arrow, Jeff Hayward has appointed Matthew Griffis to serve for the balance of the year as the 2004 Western Region Chief. Matt's Duties will start immediately.

 

Please welcome Matt as he serves our Region and assists all of us in serving the Youth of our Order.

 

Yours in Service,

 

Steve Bradley

Western Region Chairman

 

http://www.western.oa-bsa.org/

 

 

So what you may be asking. well here is the real reason:

 

 

Teen in Ames for Order of the Arrow Conference faces child pornography charge

 

 

 

 

By: Jason Kristufek, Staff Writer August 02, 2004

 

 

 

 

A state of Washington teen in Ames for the Boy Scouts of America's National Order of the Arrow Conference was arrested last week and accused of possessing child pornography.

 

Timothy Rand Wallace, 19, of Greenacres, Wash., surrendered to Iowa State University Police on Friday and was charged with two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor.

Both counts are aggravated misdemeanors and each is punishable by up to two years in jail and a fine of up to $5,000.

Capt. Gene Deisinger believes Wallace unintentionally made several filenames associated with child pornography available to any person with a connection to the ISU network.

"We don't think he intentionally shared the files," Deisinger said.

Wallace could have faced a felony charge if police thought the files were being shared on purpose.

Officers traced the source of the files to Wallace's computer in a meeting room at the ISU Memorial Union. Police said he was staying in a hotel room there and used the meeting room as workspace.

Computer equipment and media storage devices were seized after a judge issued a search warrant. Wallace also provided a statement to police, Deisinger said.

Investigators continue to examine Wallace's computer to determine if additional charges will be filed.

Wallace was being held at the Story County Jail on Friday on $15,000 bond.

 

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=12578946&BRD=2035&PAG=461&dept_id=238101&rfi=8

 

 

 

The OA tried to cover this up! Yes, they removed newspapers from vending machines on the Iowa State campus at NOAC and turned there backs. I am shocked at this and at the same time, I am sad that this could happen to one of our national officers. An arrowman, someone who is supposed to live and be an example of the Scout Oath and Law. I feel that when the Order of the Arrow has to LIE to its members the meaning of the words "On my honor" are somehow cheapned, but then when I think of all the good that the scouts and the OA do, in spite of these people and actions, I am proud to be a scout and an arrowman.

 

I remain

Yours in Service,

Florida Scout

 

[Eamonn]

I fail to see where the OA or the Region Chief has lied.

I would hope that we all remember that in this great country, along with a few others people are presumed innocent until proved guilty. That doesn't happen until there is a trial.

I agree that if there was an effort to suppress this by not allowing newspapers to be sold, it was a silly effort and it clearly didn't work.

I don't know Tim Wallace and have never met him. I do however feel sorry for him and his parents. I have no idea what really happened or didn't happen. I do think that for a young Lad /man to have gone so far in the OA as he has he must have put a lot of effort into it and I feel sure that his family and friends were very proud.This may no longer be the case.

I would suggest that rather then feeling that the your honor has been offended you try and remember the Brotherhood of Friendly Service and take a couple of minutes to say a prayer for Tim, his family and his lodge. I kinda think that would be the kind thing to do. Let the courts decide if he is innocent or guilty. Right now he is a fellow brother that needs some help from the Big Fellow Upstairs.

My son was at NOAC. From the calls that he made home and the E-mails that the Lodge Advisor sent me, it sounds as if all our guys had a great time and managed to get a lot of work done. Looking at the money he has gone through I think that OJ must have bought at least two of everything that they were selling. They were at six flags today and stop at Dayton Ohio tomorrow. He no sooner gets back then he is off to staff JLTC.

Strange thing is that Her That Must Be Obeyed, thinks that this is great, but when I try and pull something like this I get the "Look".

I am really looking forward to hearing all the details from his trip and spending what little time that he will be home with him. The house feels so empty when he isn't here. I suppose that is something that we will have to get used too soon.

Eamonn

(This message has been edited by Eamonn)

[BadenP]

I agree that this is a sad story of a very troubled young man. I feel that releasing this story at NOAC would have destroyed the experience for the other boys and would have served no useful purpose. Tims removal from office was all the regional office could do, the rest lies with the court. I am sure that when this goes to trial the national press will have a field day and the BSA will have to handle some difficult questions.

[Fat Old Guy]

I can understand that OA wouldn't want to broadcast this information but "removing newspapers from vending machines"? Did they pay for all of those papers?

 

[FScouter]

"... Order of the Arrow has to LIE to its members ..."

That's a mighty big charge mister. Particulaly since you have not stated what "lie" was made. What is it you think the OA has done wrong here? If you were king, what exactly would you do differently?

[JimmyD]

I would've been honest and closed the case right there.

[9muckraker7]

AHHHH!!!! AHHH!!! AAAAHHH!!! I was hoping that this incident would remain at low-profile for a while, as I learned about this Sunday night at NOAC as I read a newspaper left on a table... In fact, I was about to """""announce""""" that in this forum, but after much brooding, I decided that it would be better not to. I am in no way affiliated with the Western Region Chief or the National OA committee; i'm simply an arrowman expressing his views.

 

As I do believe I know a little more than what the media seems to know regarding the topic, I will choose not to disclose any specific information in an effort to preserve the truth (I'm not tooo sure that what I know is the truth). However, I will say this. The media has a tendency to stretch the truth whenever possible, to exaggerate with little regard to the truth so long as it produces a good story. Such hyperbole often leads to many misconceptions about stories, and these must be avoided. But how can we avoid these misconceptions that the media almost always brings? Try talking to someone who knows or has close connections to the immediate past Western Region Chief, and they will probably have a more accurate story of exactly what happened. That's what I did, and that's when I realized that the media did in fact make this scout seem like a truly perverted and sick freak.

 

I FIRMLY BELIEVE THAT THE ORDER OF THE ARROW HAS DONE EVERYTHING NECESSARY TO PRESERVE THE GOOD ASPECTS OF BOY SCOUTS AND TO CONTINUE TO PROVIDE TO THE ARROWMEN A QUALITY PROGRAM, ESPECIALLY DURING NOAC. I do not at all criticize the Order of the Arrow in trying to cover up the incident because it truly was in the best interest of the OA. Simply put: How many of you actually appreciated hearing about such an incident? How many out there who are just finding out about the western region chief incident feel good and proud of the order of the arrow and boy scouting??!! NOAC was meant to be a joyous event, and indeed it was. "Hiding the truth" from so many arrowmen by removing the newspapers from ISU meant that they'd have a better time at NOAC. Sometimes the truth isn't always pretty, and it's best if certain matters are taken care of more privately. When i found out about the incident, I was both shocked and apalled, but I didn't let that keep me from celebrating scouting with my 6500 other brothers this past NOAC.

 

I congratulate the NOAC committee on a job well done, for making my first NOAC truly unforgetable: the pinnacle of my scouting experience.

[FScouter]

"I would've been honest and closed the case right there."

 

What did the OA do that was not honest? What would you have the OA do to close the case?

[Proud Eagle]

I too would agree that this was handled pretty well. He did in fact resign for unforseen personal reasons.

 

As to weather or not he is guilty, that is a matter for the justice system to sort out, not a matter for the OA or BSA to take up. It would have been out of line to either condemn or defend the ex-Western Region Chief.

 

I should also note that the editorial policy of the NOAC newspaper was to avoid, in all matters, writing opinion pieces. Therefore any commintary would have been inappropriate. Also, this story is not relevant to the Order as a hole.

 

It is best that most at the conference were able to remain focused on the purpose of the conference. If the story had been placed on the front page of NOAC Today, it would have been a serious distraction to the participants. Also, this would have drawn greater attention to the story by the media at large.

 

I don't think any of us would have liked the conference to have been over run by satelite news trucks, reporters, and that sort of thing.

[JimmyD]

"What did the OA do that was not honest? What would you have the OA do to close the case?"

 

Covered it up with removing the newspapers. If it concerns the public like that I would've told them what happened.

 

 

(I'm not done posting on this topic now because I don't want anymore heat. I know that will eventually happen)

[FScouter]

"Covered it up with removing the newspapers."

 

Interesting thought. My first thought was that if such an event was occurring, I'd want to read what the press had to say about it and buy a newspaper. Unless I'm a complete kook, surely others would think similarly and buy papers too. If the newspaper rack was "sold out" why would anyone think that the OA organization conspired to steal the papers? Is there any evidence of this? Someone noticed that a rack was empty and concluded that the OA conspired to cover up the incident? Is there a conspiricy?

 

Is someone wearing a tin-foil hat?

[scoutldr]

Were these the local "public" newspaper? If so, unless the papers were removed one at a time for 50 cents each, it was theft, and the ISU campus cops should be looking to arrest the perps of that crime as well.

 

Were these the ISU student paper (unlikely this time of year)? Or were these the NOAC newspaper?

 

A similar thing happened here...the local University student newspaper obtained the salaries of all faculty members via the FOIA and published them. Within hours of distribution (in free racks all over campus), all of the papers mysteriously disappeared. The University claimed they had the right to approve/disapprove whatever was printed, even though as a state University it's public information.

 

Membership in the BSA requires "duty to Country." In my mind, that means respecting and upholding the First Amendment rights of others....at least that's what the voices in my head keep telling me.(This message has been edited by scoutldr)

[Fuzzy Bear]

He might be innocent. The OA might not have taken any papers. What happens if the porn belonged to someone else? What happens if the newspapers were bought up by people trying to commemorate NOAC and had no idea of the incident? What happens to the young man unfairly accused?

 

But what if he is guilty and there is a child that has been exposed to the world without consent and what else might have happened to that child?

 

Either way, it makes everyone want to vomit. Being or not being Region Chief is not a contender in this episode. This is real life with people having problems that will lead to a lifetime of real misery for any involved.

 

As for the rest of us, go ahead and puke then offer up a prayer that will fix something in all of this mess. There is no happy ending suspected for any for whatever the outcome.

 

FB

 

[DDHII]

Sorry to hear about Tim. I know him quite well with Western Region. As some of you may know, Matt Griffis was our past 2003-2004 Western Region Chief. Both are great men and I hope things get straightened out for Tim.

 

On a more personal note, it is not the policy of the OA or BSA to "cover up" anything. As youth-protection goes, if you've been properly trained you would know that confidentiality is a priority to the BSA. My good friend Mr. Bradley did the right thing.

 

I hope you enjoyed your time at NOAC.

 

WWW,

 

Dale

[Fat Old Guy]

"On a more personal note, it is not the policy of the OA or BSA to "cover up" anything"

 

How do we know that since no one ever knows anything except rumor and inuendo?