BRENTWOOD — A former Boy Scout leader from Newfields accused of sexually abusing scouts beginning in the 1990s has been

BRENTWOOD — A former Boy Scout leader from Newfields accused of sexually abusing scouts beginning in the 1990s has been indicted on 17 charges. The alleged victim count is now four.

Eugene Perreault, 69, of 369 Piscassic Road, was arrested in October after an initial complaint was made to police. Perreault was a scoutmaster for the Boy Scouts of America during the 1990s through 2006 in Epping and Newfields, police have said. According to the indictments from a Rockingham Superior Court grand jury, he is now accused of engaging in a pattern of abuse with four victims who were all under the age of 16, some under 13. Lt. Mike Schwartz confirmed all four alleged victims were Boy Scouts.

The grand jury found probable cause for four counts of aggravated felonious sexual assault and 13 counts of felonious sexual assault. An indictment is not an indication of guilt, but means the grand jury found enough evidence to bring the case to trial.

The second alleged victim, who came forward in December, requested the details of his assaults remain unsealed in court. The crimes allegedly occurred multiple times between 1998 and 2001, the affidavit said.

The victim told police he would ride his bike to Perreault’s residence and that all of the alleged sexual abuse happened at the Newfields home. The first physical contact Perreault made with the boy, the accuser told police, was back rubs in May or June 1998. The first sexual contact allegedly happened when the boy was in sixth grade. Perreault had the boy look at a pornographic image of a woman on his home computer when he abused him for the first time, the victim told police. Perreault allegedly repeated the use of pornographic images of women in later incidents of abuse.

The victim told police he started smoking cigarettes as a sixth-grader when the abuse began and before seventh grade he also started using alcohol and marijuana.

The last alleged act of sexual abuse, the affidavit stated, occurred in the winter of 2001 following a “Polar Trip” during which scouts would build and sleep in igloos. The affidavit described Perreault’s reaction when confronted with the second allegation. “I touched him, but I shouldn’t have,” he allegedly told police.

Police said Perreault wrote an apology letter to the victim, stating, in part, “I need to tell you how deeply sorry I am for abusing you when you were a scout.”

Perreault also worked for six years as a bus driver for Safeway Transportation, a bus company out of Kingston that provides services for special needs children in school districts in southern New Hampshire and northeastern Massachusetts. He was a part-time health officer for Newfields and ran for the town’s Board of Selectmen in 2009.

Newfields Police Chief Nathan Liebenow urged anyone with information to call police at (603) 772-9010 or report a tip anonymously to Seacoast Crime Stoppers at (603) 431-1199.

If you need help

Haven has trained confidential advocates available. The 24-hour hotline is (603) 994-SAFE (7233) and walk-in services are offered weekdays 9 a.m.-5 p.m. at 20 International Drive, Suite 300 in Portsmouth and 9 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. at 150 Wakefield Street in Rochester. Haven is the violence prevention and support services crisis center for domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking, serving southeastern New Hampshire.