A month-long investigation by the Butte County Sheriff's Office has led to the arrest of a Boy Scout Leader on suspicion of child molestation. Investigators say the crimes occurred at the Butte Meadows Boy Scout Camp known as Camp Lassen.
The following is a synopsis of the case from the Butte County Sheriff's Office:
In May of 2012, the Butte County Sheriff's Office began an investigation into allegations of sexual child abuse occurring at the Boy Scout camp in Butte Meadows, CA over the last two years. As a result of this investigation, it was determined that Dustin Hedrick, 20, who was an adult Boy Scout Leader for a Boy Scout unit in Shasta County, had engaged in sexual acts with two other Boy Scout members. The ages of the victims were 13 years old and 16 years old.
On June 21, 2012 detectives from the Butte County Sheriff's Office Special Victim Unit served a search warrant for Hedrick's residence to collect evidence related to this investigation. Hedrick was contacted at the residence and placed under arrest. Hedrick was booked into the Butte County Jail, Oroville, CA and charged with six counts of forcible lewd acts on a child under the age of 14, and one count of electronic communication with a minor with intent to commit sexual acts. Hedrick's bail was set at $465,000.
Scout executive Jim Martin of the Golden Empire Council of Boy Scouts of America in Sacramento gave this statement to Action News:
"The alleged behavior of the individual arrested runs counter to the values and ideals of the Boy Scouts of America, its volunteers, members and professionals. Based upon the information he has been removed from Scouting. The Golden Empire Council will work with the local authorities as they review this matter.
The BSA works to protect children through a comprehensive program of education, chartered organization leader selection procedures, criminal background and other checks, barriers to abuse and prompt mandatory reporting."
