2 Cerritos-Area Individuals Listed in Boy Scouts' 'Perversion Files'

Two individuals expelled from Cerritos-based Boy Scout troops in the 1980's were included in a Los Angeles Times database of possible cases of sexual abuse by Boy Scout troop leaders and volunteers, Cerritos Artesia Patch has learned.

Neither the names of the two invididuals on the list -- comprised of 'about 5,000 men and a hand­ful of wo­men who were ex­pelled from the Boy Scouts of Amer­ica between 1947 and Janu­ary 2005 on sus­pi­cion of sexu­al ab­use' -- nor any specific details of why the two were banned from the Boy Scouts were included in the Times' Boy Scouts' "perversion files" released to the public Thursday.

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For decades, the Boy Scouts of America kept—and continues to keep—the Ineligible Volunteer Files as a way to keep volunteers suspected of inappopriate sexual behavior away from children. The cases were not shared with parents or police; many were revealed through lawsuits.

The files became public Thursday as part of an $18.5 million settlement between the BSA and a victim.

"There have been instances where people misused their positions in Scouting to abuse children, and in certain cases, our response to these incidents and our efforts to protect youth were plainly insufficient, inappropriate, or wrong," BSA President Wayne Perry said in a statement. "Where those involved in Scouting failed to protect, or worse, inflicted harm on children, we extend our deepest apologies to victims and their families."

All BSA volunteers must complete background checks and comprehensive training, and staff are required to reporter even suspected cases of sexual abuse, he said.

"Experts have found that the BSA’s system of Ineligible Volunteer Files functions well to help protect Scouts by denying entry to dangerous individuals," he said.

According to a BSA "Know the Facts" page, items in the files include "tips and hearsay that cannot be proven in a court of law."

The organization also defended its decision to keep its files confidential, saying that the confidentiality "encourages prompt reporting" of incidents.

The Los Angeles Times has created a database of the cases by year, city, state and troop number. The newspaper's list includes the time period covered by today's release (1965 to 1985), but also other accusations and documents gathered and released in various court cases.

Allegations of Sexual Abuse in Boy Scout Troops in Cerritos and Nearby Communities

Here is a list of the three cases in Cerritos -- one of the individuals was involved in two separate cases -- according to the Times' files:

Nine cases, involving 8 individuals, stemming from troops in Norwalk and Bellflower were also part of the newspaper's database. There were no cases listed from the city of Artesia.