LEE COUNTY FLA. — Fox 4 Investigates has obtained a letter showing the Boy Scouts of America are prohibiting a 10-year-old Lee County Boy, charged with threatening a mass shooting at his elementary school, from participating in all Boy Scout activities.
Prosecutors say the boy texted a threat when he sent pictures of money and guns and told a friend to get ready for “water day” an honor roll student reward day.
The arrest came days after the mass shooting at a school in Uvalde, TX.
The Lee County Sheriff’s Office posted a video of the boy, in handcuffs, being put into the back of a squad car.
The letter from the Boy Scouts says the organization doesn’t have an “opinion on the accuracy or truthfulness of the allegations, but only that the BSA puts its concern for the safety of our Scouts above everything else.”
“(The boy) is not allowed to attend Scouting meetings or activities and may not wear the uniform or otherwise participate in any Scouting activities,” the letter states.
The boy’s family says this is just one more layer of punishment being applied to him.
“The fault here lies with the Sheriff’s office with what they have done to (the boy). It really all comes back to that,” said Letitia Kim, Managing Director of the Foundation Against Intolerance and Racism, FAIR, which has taken on the boy’s case.
“There simply was no basis for any of the actions that were taken against him. With regards to these texts that he sent. That were the texts of a 10-year-old child.”
Earlier this week, FAIR asked the U.S. Justice Department to investigate Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno for allegedly violating the boy’s civil rights when he released the boy’s name, mug shot and perp walk, which quickly went viral.
Fox 4 is refraining from showing the boy’s face or using his name because he has not yet been convicted of any crime.
And since the Sheriff’s office released the arrest video on the internet, the story is likely to remain there, possibly without including the case’s ultimate outcome.
“As the Sheriff of Lee County, school safety is my top priority. Our youth services deputies and detectives do an amazing job to ensure the safety of our students and school staff. Any threats made, real or fake, will be immediately investigated and taken seriously,” the Sheriff said in a previous statement.
Fox 4 Investigates reached out to the Boy Scouts to find out more about their policies.
“Although decided on a case-by-case basis it is our general policy that any registered BSA member facing criminal charges be removed from Scouting until the resolution of their case. If acquitted or dismissed they may ask for reinstatement at which time their case can be reviewed. The safety of the youth we serve is our primary concern”
