Bolingbrook Case Among Boy Scout ‘Perversion Files’

One Bolingbrook case from 1988 is among the once-secret Boy Scouts of America “perversion files” ordered released the Oregon Supreme Court.

A total of 1,200 files were released last week, including nearly 300 cases involving Scout troops in Illinois dating back to the 1960s.

READ: Inside the ‘Perversion Files of the Illinois Boy Scouts

Some files were created to document the arrests and convictions of Scout volunteers. In other cases, the Scouts simply expelled the alleged sexual predators, but did not report the accusations to authorities. As a result, criminal charges were never filed in numerous cases.

The files, which include information on Scout leaders and volunteers banned by the organization, contain references to two Plainfield cases.

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The case, filed in 1988, involved Boy Scout Troop 310-C in Bolingbrook. The ineligible volunteer's first name is "Mark" and in the comment section, the record states "convicted child molester." 

Information gathered by the Los Angeles Times shows the leaders of the Boy Scouts of America who were expelled between 1947 and 2005 on suspicions or confirmation of sexual abuse. According to the Times’ database, the dates indicate when the Boy Scouts created the file, not when the incidents are alleged to have happened.

The Bolingbrook case is hardly the only “perversion files” in the Chicago suburbs.

In Joliet, a state prison guard and Cubmaster with Cub Pack 239 voluntarily quit in the early 1970s after allegations surfaced that he molested boys in his care.

A 1971 newspaper clipping reported Patrick Farrell’s conviction  for “'taking indecent liberties' with two boys at a LaSalle County campground.” He was sentenced to two years in prison.

In Downers Grove, a former Scout leader was banned for the organization in 1967 after he admitted to molesting and hitting a boy during a camping trip.

READ: Former Downers Grove Scoutmaster Named in Boy Scouts’ Perversion Files

The man, then 36, was removed from his position in Downers Grove Troop 99, and was barred from any further participation in the Scouting program, according to documents released Thursday. There is no record he was ever charged in connection with the allegations.

The files also contain allegations of abuse linked to Scout troops in Naperville, Bolingbrook, St. Charles and Wheaton, among other communities.

PATCH DATABASE: Search for your town and troop in the Illinois "perversion files"

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