2 OF 3 PIGS SURRENDER
- Brainiac -
2 OF 3 OFFICERS SURRENDER
IN EXPLORER SEX SCANDAL
CASE IS LATEST TO ROCK
NATIONAL SCOUTING
PROGRAM
ALLEGATIONS INVOLVE
15-YEAR-OLD GIRL
By Wednesday evening two of the three Eureka police
officers accused of
having sex with a teen Explorer had turned themselves in
to St. Louis County
Police to face statutory sodomy charges.
They were released on bond. But St. Louis County police
still seek the third
officer, who probably will be arrested, officials said.
The scandal is the latest in a series of sex-oriented
allegations rocking the
national Explorer programs tied to law enforcement
agencies. Explorering, an
offshoot of the Boy Scouts of America, puts teen-agers
in programs working
with professionals in various careers.
There have been about a dozen cases of sexual abuse or
harassment reported
nationwide involving Explorers over the past five years,
scouting officials said
Wednesday.
"The numbers of these incidents are small, but
nevertheless, we're trying to do
everything we can to protect these children," said Greg
Shields, national
spokesman for the Dallas-based Boy Scouts of America.
"One child abused is
one child too many."
In the Eureka cases, three officers were charged Tuesday
with statutory
sodomy for allegedly having oral sex with a 15-year-old
girl in the police
department's Explorer program. Officials said the sex
occurred over a year,
while the girl rode with each officer on duty in their
patrol cars. The sex was
allegedly consensual, and the girl is cooperating with
authorities.
Michael Longshaw, 26, faces four counts of statutory
sodomy, and Kent
Baker, 39, faces nine counts of statutory sodomy. They
turned themselves in
late Wednesday morning and were released on bond.
Authorities were unable to reach Lance Bowen, 30, and he
did not turn
himself in Wednesday. He faces one count of statutory
sodomy. Police said
they will probably arrest him.
Bowen and Baker were put on unpaid leave from the Eureka
police force,
which employs 19 police officers. Longshaw resigned from
the Eureka police
late last month to take a job with the St. Louis County
police. He resigned
from that position Friday.
Longshaw, 26, had been a certified Explorer leader; his
certification was
suspended soon after he was charged.
Statutory sodomy, like statutory rape, is a class C
felony. Sentencing can
range from a year in county jail to seven years in
prison on each count, up to
20 years total.
They would be required to register with the state's sex
offender listing after
release from prison.
In the St. Louis area, about 400 teen-age boys and girls
are involved in
Explorer programs sponsored by nearly 40 law enforcement
groups. Na
tionwide, more than 500,000 children take part in the
Explorers each year.
About a third of the Explorers who finish the law
enforcement portion
eventually go into law enforcement.
But in the last four years, several law enforcement
agencies have been i
nvestigated for having improper contact between police
and Explorers.
- Earlier this month, the Los Angeles Police Department
disclosed that it is
investigating 95 allegations of misconduct against eight
police officers.
One officer is believed to have seduced, sexually
abused, battered and falsely
imprisoned a teen-ager involved in the program. The
other officers are, at
least, being investigated for allegations that they did
not properly monitor the
Explorer program.
- Last month, a Greensboro, N.C., police officer was
accused of coaxing a
15-year-old Explorer to give him oral sex while she was
in the program nearly
four years ago. He also was accused of handing beer to
other Explorers
during camp-outs and with flirting with two other
teen-age girls.
He will face no criminal charges, although officials are
trying to revoke his
police certification.
Officials said he could not be tried in criminal courts
because the statute of
limitations had run out.
- In June, two deputies in the Pender County Sheriff's
Department in
Wilmington, N.C., were investigated for having sex with
a 15-year-old
Explorer. One officer was charged with three counts of
taking indencent
liberties with the girl, while the other was charged
with having sex with her.
- In August 1996, a member of the Fort Worth, Texas,
police force was
charged with indecency with a child after a 16-year-old
Explorer accused him
of making "inappropriate physical contact" at a pool
party in May. The
27-year-old officer later admitted guilt in the
incident.
- In September 1995, a sheriff's deputy in Franklin,
Ind., was charged with
having sex with at least two Explorers and supplying
several others with
alcohol. The officer admitted having sex with one of the
boys but said it
occurred a dozen times or less.
- In September 1994, a 19-year-old member of the
Explorers in Kissimmee,
Fla., was arrested on charges that he molested up to 50
boys in Orange and
Osceola counties, many of whom were involved in the
Explorer program.
The 19-year-old was not a law enforcement officer.
Boy Scout officials said they are looking at the
organization's policies.
"We're always looking at ways to better ensure the
children's safety. It's an
ongoing process," said Terry Schwarck, scout executive
for the Greater St.
Louis Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America.
The police investigation in Eureka began after a Eureka
police officer
overheard at least one of the suspects discussing the
sexual activities.
Eureka police began an investigation and late last week
turned the information
over to county police and prosecutors.