DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The now-former scoutmaster of a Boy Scout troop in Daytona Beach faces accusations of molesting a 14-year-old girl, according to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies said that the man — identified as Vidal Torres, 48 — was a friend of the girl’s family and an assistant scoutmaster in her Boy Scout troop.
In a release, deputies said the family learned Torres had “sexual contact” with the girl and reported the issue to the sheriff’s office last month.
After an investigation confirmed the allegations, deputies secured a warrant and tried to arrest Torres at his workplace, the release shows.
However, deputies learned upon arrival that Torres had left for at least a week due to a “family emergency,” investigators said.
Detectives said they were eventually able to locate and arrest Torres a few days later when he returned to the area. The sheriff’s office released body-worn camera footage which shows deputies asking Torres about the arrest.
“You have no inkling of why you are in a pair of handcuffs, standing out here in the cold?” one deputy could be heard asking.
“Is it because of the text messages?” Torres responded.
According to the release, Torres was taken into custody without incident and confessed during an interview with investigators.
The release also notes that the molestation didn’t happen at the sanctioned Scout events.
Torres faces charges of unlawfully using a communication device and four counts of lewd molestation. He is held on no bond.
News 6 reached out to the Boy Scouts of America and received the following statement:
Vidal Torres, Jr. was immediately removed from Scouting upon learning of his arrest. The BSA has added Torres to the Volunteer Screening Database, precluding him from future registration in Scouting.
The Central Florida Council will continue to cooperate with authorities as the investigation proceeds.
Nothing is more important than the safety and protection of youth in our programs — it is our top priority. The BSA’s multilayered process of safeguards includes the following measures, all of which are designed to act as barriers to abuse:
• mandatory youth protection training for all volunteers and employees,
• a leadership policy that requires at least two youth-protection trained adults be present with youth at all times during Scouting activities and bans one-on-one situations where adults would have any interaction alone with children — either in person, online, or via phone or text,
• a thorough screening process for adult leaders and staff including criminal background checks,
• a ban on the use of recording devices/cell phones near bathrooms and shower houses, and
• the prompt mandatory reporting of any allegation or suspicion of abuse to law enforcement.
The BSA also offers a 24/7 Scouts First Helpline (1-844-SCOUTS1) and email contact address (scouts1st@scouting.org) for help reporting suspected abuse or inappropriate behavior. For more information about the BSA’s youth protection policies and our efforts to be part of the broader solution to child abuse, please visit Scouting.org/YouthSafety.
Boy Scouts of America
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