JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – A 12-year-old Boy Scout was allegedly raped by an older member at a summer camp near Kansas City, and his parents are blaming Scout leaders for handling the incident poorly.
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On Tuesday, the victim's parents returned to H-Roe Bartle Camp southwest of here in Osceola to file a complaint with authorities about the alleged incident, KMBC-TV News reported. A family member says the boy, who was not named in the report, has been traumatized by the incident.
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 Camp where Scout allegedly raped (courtesy: KMBC-TV) |
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According to accounts, the victim – who was at his first Boy Scouts summer camp – was assaulted in a tent he was sharing with a 14-year-old boy.
"He left the tent and proceeded to run and scream, which woke the leader up and several of the other adults," the family member, who was not named, told KMBC. "He's ashamed to look at his mother more than anything, because it makes his mother cry."
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An official with the St. Clair County Sheriff's Department said scoutmasters didn't notify authorities until after the boys involved had been sent home. The news agency said the victim is being treated for venereal disease and has undergone AIDS testing.
Boy Scout officials countered the victim initially played down the incident, which may have been why camp leaders didn't respond more forcefully. Later, however, the victim reportedly told a chaplain he had been raped.
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After the incident, sheriff's officials said, the boy was sent back to his tent to spend the night alone. The next day he went swimming, which is further complicating the investigation, KMBC said.
Mike Johnson, a spokesman for the Boy Scouts, told the news station the organization is helping with the investigation and that Scouts were alarmed by the incident.
"We are cooperating with authorities. Our primary concern is for the victim and the victim's family," he said. "We take it very seriously to help the adult leaders, parents and scouts to know what to do in this situation."
