WFSB Channel 32 men file suit against Boy Scouts of America

2 men file suit against Boy Scouts of America

Two men who said they were molested by their Boy Scout master in the 1980s have filed a lawsuit against the Texas-based Boy Scouts of America and the Connecticut Yankee Council of Boy Scouts in Milford.

Their lawyers said both organizations should have known that the Rev. D. Dirk Davenport, a Boy Scout leader and part-time minister in Madison, was arrested on sexual assault charges back in 1985.

Davenport, who now lives in Thailand, had molested boys in Minnesota, Montana and Nebraska before coming to Connecticut.

In a prepared statement, the Boy Scouts said:

"The abuse of anyone, and especially children, is abhorrent and intolerable, and the Boy Scouts of America continues to evolve our multi-layered youth protection efforts. In the 25 years since the events described, Scouting has mandated training and education for everyone in our organization and designed policies that prevent one-on-one contact between youth and adults. Today, anyone suspected of abuse is immediately removed from Scouting, reported to law enforcement and Scout executives and added to our Ineligible Volunteer Files."

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