Review of BSA files leads to arrest of former scout leader and his boyfriend in Phoenix

[AZMike]

A horrible story on many levels.

 

http://www.azfamily.com/news/Former-...262950661.html

 

http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/...ions/10401873/

 

It is good that the BSA is reviewing the old files to establish whether any allegations from the past (Challberg was one of the blacklisted former leaders) were not reported to the police at the time. It's sad that it took so long to come to light. One would hope that this would be handled differently today.

 

It's also of concern that one of the couple continued to seek employment with access to young boys, as a school bus driver.

[RememberSchiff]

Disagree. The "files" should have been turned over to the authorities at the time of the incident(s), rather than wait 30 years. When reporting a suspected criminal activity, contact police first.

 

 

[skeptic]

"The victim did not make a separate police report to the Phoenix Police Department." From the story. We again arrive at the difference in response to these things at the time. If the victim and his family did not report separately to the police, then an actual complaint could not be filed by BSA, as they were not the actual victim. What is not clear is whether they reported it outside the organization then, but the quote would suggest they did; "did not make a separate police report".

[perdidochas]

I'm with skeptic--at the time, I don't think the Boy Scouts could do much. The victim chose not to report it to the police.

[RememberSchiff]

Anyone, then or now, could report suspicious activity to the police. "Suspect a crime drop a time". The difference in times were the victim families then put their faith in the BSA, Catholic Church, Schools to follow thru with the call to the police...,hopefully we have learned from those mistakes and call direct

[skeptic]

The difference in times were the victim families then put their faith in the BSA' date=' Catholic Church, Schools to follow thru with the call to the police...,hopefully we have learned from those mistakes and call direct[/quote']

 

I am not a lawyer, but I have tried to file a complaint a couple of times when I was not the actual "victim". They told me that they would take a report, but the complaint MUST be filed by the VICTIM or their legal guardian. Today, the authorities are often mandated to actually investigate; but back then, they often did not because it was not mandated in most areas, as I have been led to understand. Others with more familiarity might clarify; but we are talking decades of public and government attitudinal evolution.

[T2Eagle]

There was nothing that would have prohibited us from doing more in 1986. We should have, we didn't, we should be ashamed of ourselves for not doing more, and we shouldn't excuse ourselves by saying oh it was different then. We're supposed to be the ones who are exemplary citizens, not run of the mill.

 

I was a full fledged adult in 1986, I hope I would have been Brave enough to pick up a phone and call the police and say hey, there's a guy named X who was a scoutmaster for us and he raped a boy named Y. I don't know that I would have been brave enough, but I'd be deeply ashamed today if I hadn't.

 

That said, I'm glad we're doing something now. Does anyone know if all Councils or the BSA as a whole are reviewing their files for this type of thing, and if so what expertise do we have to do it?

[packsaddle]

In this state (and I have no idea how it works in others) if someone has a suspicion regarding a child, they can report that suspicion anonymously and there WILL be an investigation...by the police if necessary. No victim statement or complaint is needed to initiate this process.

I agree with RememberSchiff.

[skeptic]

Pack; I think today your statement is likely accurate in the entire country, or at least hope it is. But, what I am saying is that thirty years ago, things were not so specific, and the authorities often would not do anything without a direct complaint. That was one of the biggest problems back then and earlier. Between authorities not following up without certain direct complaints, and often unwillingness to put this kind of thing out publicly, it was not necessarily clear where the poor decisions were made. We keep using today's standards to judge what happened when these standards did not necessarily exist, even though we would mostly agree THEY SHOULD HAVE. Rock and a hard place again. This particular story hints that BSA did report it, but the family chose to not follow up. Today, the BSA report would be enough in most cases.

[JoeBob]

But wait! I thought that homosexuals were NOT pedophiles..

[Eagle92]

There is some truth to laws being a lot different way back when.

 

I don't know the exact year a friend of mine did this, but assuming they are my age or a little older, this occurred in the mid to late1980s, or early 1990s. Friend of mine as a teenager saw something, reported it, but becasue they were not the victim, nothing was done. Fast forward to 3 years ago, friend gets subpenaed to testify against the perp. Authorities used the report she filed to to aid in nailing the perp. Perp unfortunately molested kids for over 20 years.

[fred johnson]

Knowlege was different. Laws were different. Parents, police and public behavior was different. It was a different world.

 

In 1986, it was still hard to believe a coach or teacher would sexually abuse a student. Back then, we were still talking battered child and stranger danger. No one was talking about those we trust the most.

 

David Walters wrote in 1975 "Virtually no literature exists on the sexual abuse of children." In 1977, Henry Kempe described it as "another hidden pediatric problem and a neglected area." The 1970s focused on child abuse as the battered child era. http://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/publishing/insights_law_society/ChildProtectionHistory.authcheckdam.pdf

 

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I really believe it was common for parents to want the leader gone, but not want a public trial that kids and adults in the city would tie back to their son. The issues were not understood as they are understood now. Back then as still happens now, I'm sure the parents and public often put some blame back onto the accuser.

 

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Back then, the statements were "battered child" and "stranger danger" and watching out for a guy driving around looking for a lost puppy. Now we talk about imbalances of power and grooming.

 

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Plus was BSA a mandatory reporter? It's only recently that clergy was added as mandatory reporters. And I'd bet that's true of youth groups.

 

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It's cheap to blame those in the past. Things have evolved rapidly over the last 30 years and mostly in the last 15 to 20 years.

[RememberSchiff]

I cannot accept the assertion that since the BSA was not legally required to do the right thing, it did no wrong.

 

This could and should have been reported sooner than 30 years, if only we had concerned men of good character.

 

My $0.02

 

 

 

[packsaddle]

Well stated, RememberSchiff.

[AZMike]

More on this case came out today:

 

The original complaint was filed with the Boy Scouts of America nearly 30 years ago, but it took a comprehensive review from national Scout leaders in October 2013 to rediscover the allegations against William Challberg, and less than a year later, the 65-year-old Phoenix man was in custody on suspicion of molesting boys decades earlier, according to court records.

 

Phoenix investigators believe there could be more victims who have not come forward.

 

Challberg was arrested Thursday on more than two dozen sex-crime allegations some of which took place in his Phoenix home during a 20-year period, according to police.

 

But court documents released Friday morning detail the drug-and-alcohol fueled encounters Challberg had with his victims, and Challberg's abuse of his position as a trusted scout leader, according to court documents.

 

The victim and his father filed a written complaint with Boy Scouts of America in 1986, according to a police statement. They did not file a separate complaint with Phoenix police.

 

The victim, who is now 45, told police he met Challberg at a Boy Scouts conference in New Jersey in 1983.

 

The victim told police Challberg molested him when he was 14 years old at a Boy Scouts activity in Phoenix, according to court documents. The same day, Challberg allegedly took the victim to his home and showed him pornographic movies and engaged in sexual activity in front of the teen, according to court records.

 

The victim also told police that Challberg engaged in sexual conduct with him inside of a bus in downtown Phoenix. Challberg was a bus driver for Veolia Transportation at the time.

 

Challberg also asked the victim to bring other boys to his house, according to court records. The victim brought one friend to Challberg's home and upon learning that the friend died of AIDS as an adult, Challberg allegedly sent the victim a letter asking him to get checked for AIDS, court documents show.

 

The victim said the last time Challberg sexually abused him was when he was about 16, when Challberg forcefully engaged in sexual activity with him, according to police documents.

 

Upon interviewing the victim, police identified several other victims.

 

A second man told police that when he was between 13 and 14 years old, he was at Challberg's home drinking beer and smoking marijuana when Challberg molested him, police records show.

 

The boy and Challberg allegedly engaged in sexual conduct on multiple occasions, including during a trip to a lake in Peoria, according to court documents.

The second victim also alleged Challberg recorded him engaging in sexual activity and allowed him to watch the recording.

 

A third boy, who was friends with the second victim, told police Challberg would offer him beer or money for beer in exchange for sexual conduct, but he would always decline, according to police records. He also told investigators Challberg would invite him and the second victim to watch pornographic material and asked to videotape them.

 

A fourth boy told police he lived in the same neighborhood as Challberg, and that Challberg would give him and his younger brother pornographic material, according to court documents. Challberg also showed the fourth victim a home video of him engaging in sexual conduct with a young male, according to court documents.

 

Challberg is being held without bond because of the nature of the charges.

 

http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/...abrk/10460051/