Iowa Boy Scouts leader sexually abused minor troop members for a decade, police say
A former Boy Scouts of America troop leader in northeast Iowa has been arrested for alleged inappropriate sexual conduct with at least five separate victims over the course of a decade.
Police arrested James Hughes, 73, at his home in Cresco in northeast Iowa on Wednesday. He was charged with four counts of third-degree sexual abuse, class C felonies, and six counts of lascivious conduct with a minor, serious misdemeanors.
Hughes was a licensed physical therapist in Cresco and also served as the committee chair and merit badge counselor for Boy Scout Troop 63, according to court documents.
Criminal complaints show the charges stemmed from alleged conduct Hughes committed against minors in his Boy Scouts troop while he was troop leader. The earliest alleged incident occurred in the early summer of 2008 and the latest incident occurred in the summer of 2018, according to the court documents. The victims were 13 to 16 years old at the time of the alleged offenses.
The investigation into Hughes stemmed from a March 2021 report filed by one of his alleged victims, who told the Cresco Police Department that Hughes touched him inappropriately during a physical therapy session that took place at Hughes' home when the victim was 15 years old, according to an October 2021 search warrant.
The warrant said Hughes was the victim's Boy Scouts leader at the time and that at one point, he told the victim to undress in front of him and "told him that he was earning his merit badge."
In an interview with investigators, Hughes allegedly admitted to encouraging his troop members to undress either partially or fully to allow him to measure their bodies and "document the size of their muscle structure" to earn their physical fitness merit badge, according to the warrant. He also allegedly admitted to inappropriately touching some of them as a part of the process.
A criminal complaint said Boy Scouts of America guidelines do not require such measurements to obtain the merit badge.
"Hughes admitted that this behavior was inappropriate," the warrant says.
Criminal complaints said Hughes also allegedly kept images of young men and boys engaging in sexual activity on his personal electronic devices.
Hughes is being held in the Howard County Jail on a $46,000 cash bond, according to the Iowa Department of Public Safety.
James Madison, the CEO of the Winnebago Council of the Boy Scouts of America, released a statement Wednesday calling the allegations against Hughes "disturbing and opposed to everything for which the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) stands."
The organization learned of the allegations in October of 2021 and immediately revoked Hughes' membership and barred him from participating in any Boy Scouts of America activities, according to Madison. He said the Winnebago Council has been cooperating with authorities throughout their investigation.
"Nothing is more important than the safety and protection of youth in our programs — it is ourtop priority," Madison said.
Boy Scouts of America implements safeguards against abuse, including requiring all staff and volunteers to take mandatory youth protection training and banning any situations where an adult would be fully alone with a child, he said. The organization also offers a helpline (1-844-SCOUTS1 or scouts1st@scouting.org) for reporting suspected abuse or inappropriate behavior, he said.
An attorney for Hughes was not listed in court documents.
Francesca Block is a breaking news reporter at the Des Moines Register. Reach her at FBlock@registermedia.com or on Twitter at@francescablock3.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa Boy Scouts leader sexually abused minor troop members, police say
