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	Pair Accuse Lakewood Ex-scout Leader, Librarian of Sexual Abuse By Adam Lynn News Tribune September 9, 2011 http://www.thenewstribune.com/2011/09/08/1815428/pair-accuse-lakewood-ex-scout.html Two men who claim a Lakewood Boy Scout leader sexually abused them decades ago have sued the Boy Scouts of America and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which sponsored the troop to which they belonged. The man they say abused them is Gary Reese, who earned the moniker “Mr. Tacoma History” during his 23-year stint managing the Northwest Room and Special Collections at the Tacoma Public Library. He retired in 2004. He is considered one of the preeminent scholars of Pierce County and Northwest history and has written or edited numerous papers on the subjects. Reese on Wednesday referred questions to his attorney, G. Perrin Walker. He said his client “categorically denies the accusations that are made against him.” “Mr. Reese has a distinguished service history in community service, in history, in library service,” Walker said. “He’s assisted numerous young men to become Eagle Scouts. He expects to be fully vindicated.” The Boy Scouts and the Mormon church also deny wrongdoing. A spokesman for the Boy Scouts issued a statement saying the organization is aware of no complaints being made about Reese during his time as a troop leader, which apparently ended in the 1970s. He also served as a merit-badge counselor and local Boy Scout committee member. “It is our understanding that he has been a prominent and long-term local resident and, to our knowledge, the local community which was responsible for selecting him and overseeing his conduct in any troop leadership position did not take any action to refer him to the authorities,” Boy Scouts spokesman David Burke said. Reese never was arrested or charged with a crime. The plaintiffs, identified only as T.S. and W.S. in the lawsuit, allege Reese fondled their genitals during Scout-related functions in the 1970s and performed other “lewd and lascivious acts.” The alleged acts occurred at Reese’s home, where they attended some Scout meetings, and during troop outings, the lawsuit states. The men contend they repressed memories of the alleged abuse until recently. They filed their suit last month in Pierce County Superior Court. They claim the Boy Scouts of America, the organization’s local governing council and the Mormon church knew or should have known Reese allegedly was molesting boys. The defendants were negligent in not removing him from his post as troop leader, the lawsuit states. “Without the active participation of defendants, Reese could not have committed his crimes and inflicted profound psychological injuries against each plaintiff,” the lawsuit states. Reese, who is not named as a defendant, also served as a church youth leader, high school seminary teacher and adviser to the bishop, which put him in a position of religious authority over the alleged victims, the lawsuit states. The plaintiffs seek undisclosed monetary damages for “mental anguish, humiliation and emotional and physical distress.” They are the second pair of men to make such claims. Two others – identified as R.D. and C.D. – filed a federal lawsuit against the Boy Scouts and the Mormon church last year. Those men, who are brothers, allege Reese sexually abused them, including fondling and raping them. One of the men contends he told the local LDS bishop about the abuse. “Both R.D. and C.D. repressed memory of the sexual molestations and did not realize the connection between their serious mental-health issues and the above-described child sexual assaults until November 2009, when their mother died,” their lawsuit states. The plaintiffs in the most-recent case – W.S. and T.S. – say the fact that C.D. and, reportedly, his mother told LDS officials about the alleged attacks is evidence the church knew about Reese’s alleged activities before they joined his troop. In pleadings filed in the federal case, lawyers for the Boy Scouts wrote the national organization couldn’t be held responsible for decisions made by local councils, which appoint and supervise troop leaders. Furthermore, they wrote, “the actions and steps BSA took during the relevant time period, which was 40 to 50 years ago, to protect Scouts from abuse were appropriate, the best available or ‘state of the art’ during that time period and therefore constitute due care.” In separate pleadings filed in the federal case, lawyers for the church conceded their client did nothing to remove Reese or punish him but only because church officials “had no knowledge, notice or any indication that Reese had, was or would engage in any improper conduct whatsoever with children or youth.” One of the attorneys representing the church, Chuck Gordon, said the church “has zero tolerance for abuse of any kind and is extremely proactive in its efforts to protect children and heal victims from this societal plague.” “Our hearts go out to anyone who may have suffered abuse,” Gordon said. “As to this specific litigation, within recent months the church has become aware of conduct that is said to have occurred in the 1960s and ’70s. The church disputes these claims and will defend itself vigorously.” The two lawsuits are among several sexual abuse-related suits filed in the last two years along the West Coast against the Boys Scouts of America and the Mormon church, including several in Oregon. In April 2010, an Oregon jury awarded $18.5 million in punitive damages to a man who argued he was abused by his former assistant Scoutmaster in the early 1980s, according to The Associated Press. Adam Lynn: 253-597-8644 or adam.lynn@thenewstribune.com
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