Boy Scout leader arrested on suspicion of child porn

A Boy Scout assistant troop leader was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of possession of child pornography.

David M. Armstrong, 47, was released on his own recognizance after a court hearing Thursday but has been ordered to have no contact with minors and is barred from participating in Boy Scout activities.

Tim McCandless, CEO of the Inland Northwest Council of the Boy Scouts of America, said Armstrong had been an assistant troop leader for one to two years. The organization became aware of the allegations on Monday, McCandless said.

“Although that behavior doesn’t involve Scouting and we have received no allegations of misconduct within Scouting, we took immediate action to remove this individual and preclude him from any further participation in the Scouting program,” he said.

McCandless called the allegations “abhorrent” and said the organization is cooperating with investigators.

A caregiver for Armstrong’s disabled 12-year-old son told police that he stumbled on the child pornography while using Armstrong’s computer recently, according to court documents. Police obtained a search warrant on Monday and seized computers and other electronic devices belonging to Armstrong. Among the items seized was a CD containing more than 650 photos of child pornography, court documents say.

Armstrong, who has no criminal record, reportedly told police that he had about 2,000 images of young boys and girls engaged in various sex acts and had been interested in such behavior for 30 years, according to court documents.

His attorney, Julie Twyford, said that Child Protective Services has launched an investigation into the welfare of Armstrong’s son. She asked for permission for her client to contact his son, but the request was denied.

Staff editor Addy Hatch contributed to this report.