Ex-Boy Scout Leader From Palmyra Sexually Assaulted Children In Virginia For Years: Police
Shawn Cory Gooden was arrested on September 5 after an extensive investigation revealed he sexually assaulted a relative, when they were between the ages of nine and 13 years old, multiple times over the course of January 1997 to December 2000, according to the Prince William County police department.
During the investigation police learned also discovered Gooden sexually assaulted another young relative, who was between the ages of eight and 12 years old during their assault— which happened during the same timeframe, authorities say.
Officers from the North Londonderry Township Police Department located Gooden in Palmyra, and charged with two counts of indecent liberties, two counts of forcible sodomy, and five counts of aggravated sexual battery, authorities say and court documents confirm.
Gooden spent time as a Boy Scouts volunteer in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania but was not signed up as a volunteer at the time of the alleged assaults, ABC27 reports citing Ronald Gardner, Scout Executive and CEO of the Boy Scouts New Birth of Freedom Council.
"The allegations against Shawn Gooden are disturbing and opposed to everything for which the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) stands. He is a former volunteer Council board member and has not been active since 2019. His term formally ended in May of this year. We have no record of him being registered at the time of the allegations. He has been placed in our Volunteer Screening Database and will no longer be permitted to register as a volunteer in the Boy Scouts of America or participate in any capacity," Gardner clarified to Fox43.
Gooden was held on $500,000 in the Lebanon County Prison, according to his court docket.
He has a pending court date and was awaiting extradition back to Virginia, authorities say.
Anyone with information regarding the incidents listed in this report is asked to contact the Prince William County Police Department tipline at 703-792-7000.
The BSA also offers a 24/7 Scouts First Helpline 1-844-SCOUTS1 and email contact address scouts1st@scouting.org for help reporting suspected abuse or inappropriate behavior.
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