A map shows locations of what the firm is listing as “perpetrators” who were active in the Boy Scouts of America between 1944 and 2016. Dots on the map represent scouters who may be living or dead.

Definitions and data have become the sticking points in public disagreements between Jeff Anderson & Associates and the Boy Scouts of America regarding child sexual abuse.

The law firm has requested the BSA release the names of “thousands of offenders from their secret files,” according to a press release.

However, BSA scouters from Chief Scout Executive Michael Surbaugh to local Allegheny Highlands Scout Executive Nate Thornton have made attempts to clarify that “offenders” or “perpetrators” are not easily defined.

“We keep a list of names of people we think need to be removed or found ineligible to be in the program,” Thornton said.

One of those recently added names is that of 74-year-old Donald C. Shriver of Lakewood. The scoutmaster was charged earlier this year for allegedly sexually assaulting a 12-year-old boy during a 2017 camping event in East Mead Township, Pa.

Thornton said Shriver was “removed immediately from scouting” once reports of the abuse came to the attention of the council. Shriver’s trial is scheduled this month.

According to Jeff Anderson & Associates’ list of state “perpetrators” listed before 2016, there has been one, located in Belmont, in the Allegheny Highlands Council since 1944. Compared to dozens of data points in other councils in the state, Allegheny Highlands has an almost spotless record of child sex abuse before 2017.

“It’s a good feeling to have that it’s that low,” Thornton said.

Jeff Anderson & Associates and the BSA both refer to “ineligible volunteer files” that have been maintained since the 1920s. These files include anyone who was removed from the program for committing acts or being suspected of committing acts that are unbecoming of values outlined in the Scout Oath and Law.

Child sex abuse falls under that umbrella, and according to Youth Protection Training, all scouters are mandated to report any suspicions of abuse within the program to local child abuse hotlines and the local scout executive.

What information Jeff Anderson & Associates has obtained relates to “at least 7,819 accused child sex abusers in scouting,” leading to 12,254 victims according to the firm.

At a news conference in April, the firm released the names of more than 130 Boy Scout leaders suspected of abuse who have volunteered in New York units between 1944 and 2016.

Trusha Goffe, an attorney at Jeff Anderson & Associates, revealed that New York “perpetrators” could be deceased. While the names originate from the “ineligible volunteer files,” meaning these scouters were removed from their units if protocol was followed correctly over the years in various different BSA councils, Goffe said her firm wants all names on the list public since “ineligible volunteers” may go on to serve in other organizations.

Thornton responded and clarified that “ineligible volunteer files” consist of more than just names of those who were charged or convicted of sexual abuse. Sometimes, volunteers were suspected of committing wrongdoing but were never found guilty. Their names were not made public for privacy reasons, but these individuals were removed from scouting.

“Isn’t that slander?” Thornton rhetorically asked in response to Jeff Anderson & Associates asking for all names to be released. “Just because someone is accused of something doesn’t mean they’re guilty of something.”

Reports of wrongdoing, including alleged sex abuse, may come from other youth organizations as well. BSA removes individuals who allegedly abused someone in other areas of the community, but Thornton said councils don’t feel its their place to release that information based on cases that may not have occurred within the BSA.

“It seems strange to me that lawyers would want a list of names of people that had been removed for allegations of crimes that happened outside of scouting,” Thornton said.

He also said that records are always kept of these individuals. For cases of child sex abuse that are worked on by law enforcement, those “ineligible volunteers'” names become public.

“We think there is a public imperative to make that information public because there are individuals who were removed from scouting who might go on to other youth service organizations,” Goffe said. “Our focus is child sex abuse.”

In order to further press the issue nationwide, Jeff Anderson & Associates has filed a lawsuit earlier this week against the BSA in New Jersey. Goffe did not comment on whether a similar lawsuit will be filed against the BSA in New York.

“We take zero risk when it comes to the safety of the kids,” Thornton said.

Surbaugh reiterated that all suspected abusers are not kept secret and are handled by law enforcement professionals following Youth Protection Training guidelines. All scout leaders must renew their certification every two years.

“The (Youth Protection) Training is more intense than it used to be,” Thornton said. “Scouting is a safe place to be.”

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