Elizabethtown man sent to prison for sexually abusing children he met volunteering with Boy Scouts: DA's office

An Elizabethtown man who tried to solicit lewd photos of children and sexually assaulted a child in 2016 used his role as a volunteer with the Boy Scouts to meet the boys, according to testimony at his sentencing hearing earlier this week, the Lancaster County district attorney's office said.

Jared Douglas, 22, pleaded guilty to 16 charges related to child sexual abuse, including involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, aggravated indecent assault and criminal solicitation.

He was sentenced to serve 6 to 12 years in prison followed by 5 years of probation, the district attorney's office said. He will also have to register his whereabouts with the police for the rest of his life.

Douglas abused a child in the summer of 2016 and in 2018 offered three children money to send him lewd photos, the district attorney's office said. Photos were never sent.

He also tried to sexually abuse two of those children that he solicited for pictures, the district attorney's office said.

A mother of one of the boys testified at the hearing, according to the district attorney's office.

"My son's innocence was taken from him," she said. "No child should ever have to go through this."

"Douglas collapsed on a podium and wept as the woman spoke," the district attorney's office said.

The mother continued, "I am the person who brought Jared into their lives. I am forever burdened with this."

The Boy Scouts issued a statement saying, "We were shocked and disturbed to learn about the allegations against this individual. These actions are reprehensible and run counter to everything for which the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) stands. Upon learning of these claims, we took immediate action to prohibit this individual from any future participation in our programs."

"Nothing is more important than the safety and protection of children in our Scouting programs – it is our top priority," said the BSA.

Crédito: LANCASTERONLINE | Staff