Camp stresses safety from sex predators

MOSCOW, Idaho – The Inland Northwest Council of the Boy Scouts of America is placing more emphasis on protecting young people from predators at a North Idaho camp where an instructor was charged with sexual misconduct, an official said.

Tim McCandless, executive director of the Spokane-based organization, said policies requiring youth protection training are already in place but will be stressed.

McCandless made the comments after hearing allegations in court Wednesday against Timothy A. Kellis, former director of shooting sports at Camp Grizzly Boy Scout camp near Harvard, about 20 miles northeast of Moscow.

Kellis has pleaded not guilty in 2nd District Court to nine counts of lewd conduct, one count of attempted lewd conduct and two counts of sexual abuse of a child.

“My opinion is you have to absolutely address it (allegations of abuse) openly,” McCandless told the Lewiston Tribune after testimony ended in the trial’s second day. “You can’t try to sweep things under the rug. If a kid was hurt, you have to do everything within your power to keep that from happening. We take it very seriously when this type of allegation comes up.”

Two teenagers testified Tuesday in detail how Kellis would enter their tent at night to sexually molest them in the summer of 2007. One of the 16-year-olds said the abuse involved oral sex and attempted anal sex.

On Wednesday, one of the Scouts testified he attended the protection training.

“But I didn’t pay attention,” he said. “I just sat back, drank water and chilled. I didn’t think anything like that would happen to me.”

McCandless said he’s concerned more teenagers think the same way and then compound the problem by tending to make it a secret if something does happen.

“We’ve installed an ethics hot line,” McCandless said, “which is a 1-800 number so that a staff member, a parent, a junior staff member, a Scout, anyone, can pick up the phone and make an anonymous report.”