A former Boy Scout troop leader is accused of sharing alcohol with young Scouts, showing them pornography and then sexually abusing them. He told them not to tell, allegedly threatening one boy with a handgun, police said.
Kress’s next court appearance is Nov. 26, according to news reports. He has been unavailable for comment.
Victims told police he had them drink alcohol, flip through pornographic magazines, told them to perform sexual acts on each other and raped them, according to an arrest warrant cited by NBC News. They said the incidents occurred on Boy Scout camping trips, in a college shower room and at his home as well as other homes where he installed countertops for his company, New England Interior.
One victim told police Kress warned him to keep quiet, telling him to “take this to the grave.” Another said Kress pulled out a gun and showed it to him, saying it “was for his parents if he talked.” A third victim said Kress had sex with him on a trip to Nichols College in Dudley, Mass., adding that another troop leader saw it happen, according to the arrest warrant.
“[The victim] said he was relieved that it would finally be over, but Kress told [the witness] that he was checking [the victim] for bruises and [the witness] walked away and never said anything,” according to the warrant.
The incidents allegedly occurred between 1989 and 1999. Kress told police he has not worked with kids for the past decade.
During a 10-month police investigation, Kress told a state trooper in March that he could help himself “by putting a bullet in his head.” He was then committed to Day Kimball Hospital in Putnam, the warrant stated.
Police obtained an arrest warrant for Kress last month, and he turned himself in on three counts of employing minors in an obscene performance. He was released a $100,000 bond.
“The behavior included in these allegations runs counter to everything for which the Boy Scouts of America stands,” Boy Scouts of America Communications Director Deron Smith told NBC News in a statement last month. “Upon learning of these allegations we took immediate action to remove this individual and preclude him from any further participation in the Scouting program.”
Boy Scout authorities told the Norwich Bulletin that Kress has been removed from his scouting duties.
Kress also serves on the Thompson town council. The council told NBC News it is waiting to make a decision about his position.
“Legally, because he’s an elected official, we have to take a look at it very closely before we make any decisions,” First Selectman Paul Lenky told the station last month. “There are a lot of questions to be answered but we’re going to have to do it the right way.”
h/t NBC News