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THE BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA HAVE
RELEASED CONFIDENTIAL FILES KEPT
ON MEN WHO WERE SUSPECTED OF
CHILD ABUSE OVER THE DECADES.
NEWS 4'S ED DRANTCH FINDS A FEW
NAMES FROM WESTERN NEW YORK IN
THE DATABASE.
TENS OF THOUSANDS OF SECRET
DOCUMENTS-- SPANNING 20
YEARS--WERE RELEASED BY BOY
SCOUTS OF AMERICA... EXPOSING
SCOUT LEADERS AND VOLUNTEERS WHO
ARE ACCUSED OF COMMITTING CRIMES
AGAINST CHILDREN. ATTORNEY KELLY
CLARK ADVOCATED FOR THE RELEASE
OF THESE DOCUMENTS.
((THE BOYSCOUTS KNEW THEY HAD AN
INSTITUTION WIDE PROBLEM OF
CHILD ABUSE AND DIDN'T TAKE
STEPS TO DEAL WITH THAT. ACROSS
THE NATION, THOUSANDS OF MEN AND
WOMEN HAVE BEEN EXPELLED FROM
THE SCOUTS, ON SUSPICION OF
CHILD ABUSE. DOZENS OF TROOPS
HAVE BEEN AFFECTED IN WESTERN
NEW YORK... INCLUDING THE CITY
OF BUFFALO AND THE NIAGARA
FRONTIER. BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA
HAD FOUGHT TO KEEP THESE FILES
SECRET.... BUT WERE INSTEAD
FORCED TO RELEASE THEM.
((YOU DO NOT GET TO KEEP SECRETS
ABOUT HIDDEN DANGERS TO
CHILDREN. PERIOD, END OF
CONVERSATION. ACCORDING TO THE
LA TIMES, 63-YEAR-OLD KENNETH
DINGMAN, OF MEDINA, WAS OUSTED
IN 1971. BUT IN 1996, NEWS FOUR
HAS LEARNED, DINGMAN WAS
CONVICTED OF SODOMIZING A
15-YEAR-OLD BOY. HE WAS
SENTENCED TO 2-TO-4 YEARS IN
STATE PRISON. IN 1982, CHARLES
LADISON OF BELMONT WAS ALSO
EXPELLED... WAYNE PERRY,
PRESIDENT OF BOY SCOUTS OF
AMERICA ADMITS THERE WASN'T
ENOUGH DONE TO PROTECT VICTIMS.
((WE HAVE TO ALSO REMEMBER THAT
WAS A DIFFERENT TIME. I WILL
TELL YOU I'M NOT GOING TO
DEFEND WHAT MIGHT HAVE HAPPENED
IN THE
CONTEXT OF THEN BUT HERE'S SOME
"NOW" CONTEXT: IN 1988, JOHN
COTE OF BLASDELL WAS SUSPECTED
OF CHILD ABUSE. IN 2009, COTE
WAS SENTENCED TO 97- MONTHS IN
PRISON, AFTER HE WAS CONVICTED
OF POSSESSION OF CHILD
***.
((WE DID FALL SHORT IN SOME
INSTANCES, WE ARE PROFOUNDLY
SORRY. NOW, PERRY SAYS NOTHING
IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN SCOUT
SAFETY.
BACKGROUND CHECKS ARE NOW BEING
CONDUCTED ON ALL VOLUNTEERS...
MEANTIME, LAWYERS ARE FIGHTING