A Coast Guard veteran has sued a Bay Area outpost of the Boy Scouts, alleging that his scout leader sexually abused him more than 30 years ago, according to reports.
Mark Dietrich, 49, says in court filings that Gary Hatfield, 60, his scout leader in Vacaville, "frequently molested him" between 1978 and 1981, according to the Associated Press. The lawsuit also claims that regional and local officials at the Boy Scouts knew that Hatfield had made "inappropriate contact" with other boys as well.
Hatfield, reached in Reno where he is now an apartment maintenance man and a leader in another "breakaway" scouting organization called the Confederate Scouts of America, denied the allegations.
Dietrich says he wants to come forward and identify himself as well as his abuser in order to compel other abuse witnesses to step forward.
No officials from the Boy Scouts would comment.
Alameda Man Sues Boy Scouts, Alleging Abuse 30 Years Ago
Alleged abuse occurred between 1978 and 1981.
Copyright FREEL - NBC Local Media
