Sept. 13 -- KENT COUNTY, MI -- A young woman who was sexually abused in a mentor program at Cascade Township Fire Department has filed a federal lawsuit against the township and Boy Scouts of America.
Two now-former Cascade Township firefighters - Clem Bell, 53, and Steven Drake, 34 - had relationships with the then-16-year-old girl and exchanged sexually explicit photographs and videos with her.
The two men pleaded guilty last year to possession of child sexually abusive material, using a computer to commit a crime and promoting child sexually abusive activity.
The fallout extended beyond the two who were sentenced to jail, home confinement and placed on Michigan's sex-offender registry. Fire Chief John Sigg retired after 29 years while Deputy Chief John Shipley was fired from his part-paid position. An independent review of the department's Explorer program showed deficiencies in policies and procedures.
Explorers gives those ages 14 to 21 the opportunity to learn about potential careers. In this case, Explorers could learn about emergency services by working alongside professional firefighters.
The program in Cascade Township was suspended after the allegations came to light, and is no longer active, township manager Ben Swayze said. He said that the township would not comment on pending litigation.
Boys Scouts of America would not discuss legal issues but said that Bell and Drake were not registered with the Explorer program. They were banned after the allegation arose.
Boy Scouts relies on fire departments to identify firefighters who are suitable for the program. Fire departments run and supervise the program.
Donald Shepard, Scout Executive/CEO, Michigan Crossroads Council, Boy Scouts of America, said in a statement:
"Nothing is more important than the safety of our youth members. We are outraged there have been times when Explorers were abused and we sincerely apologize to victims and their families. Even one instance of abuse is unacceptable.
"We seek to prevent child abuse through comprehensive policies and procedures to serve as barriers to abuse, and continue to strengthen those efforts at every level of our organization. These include a thorough screening process for adult leaders and staff, requiring youth protection training of all adult leaders and volunteers, and the prompt mandatory reporting of any allegation or suspicion of abuse."
Boy Scouts offers counseling assistance for anyone who suffers abuse in Exploring, and a 24-hour Scouts First Helpline (844-726-8871) and email ([email protected]).
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Grand Rapids, names as defendants: Cascade Township, Boy Scouts of America, the Boy Scouts' Michigan Crossroads Council, and Learning for Life.
Bell and Drake "were able to separately and independently employ similar, well-recognized grooming techniques and abuse the trust and power inherent in their positions to accomplish the sexual assault, abuse, molestation, and harassment of" the young woman, Grand Rapids attorney William Azkoul wrote.
He said the defendants failed to have and enforce policies to protect participants in the Explorer program.
The former fire chief and deputy chief were among a handful registered with Boy Scouts to lead Cascade Township Fire Department's Explorer program. Bell and Drake were not among them.
The registered leaders "were rarely, if ever, involved in supervising or facilitating the education of the Explorers and did not design a structured program of activities for the Exploring students in 2016. Rather, Cascade Township allowed any firefighter to supervise and train the exploring students in an informal and unplanned fashion," the lawsuit said.
The plaintiff, identified by a pseudonym, Jane Doe, spent about 30 hours a week at the fire station, staying as late as 10 p.m. Explorers were not supposed to be at the station past 8 p.m. except for training or emergency response.
Bell and Drake took an interest in Doe, and connected via social media. Both men, married with children, pursued social relationships, too, the lawsuit said.
Bell, the appointed township clerk, convinced her to help his campaign to win a full term, the lawsuit said.
While Boy Scouts of America prohibits adults from fraternizing with Explorers outside of the program, the township had no such policy, the lawsuit said. Boy Scouts policy also prohibits one-on-one contact; interactions should be in view of others.
"Both Drake and Bell frequently drove Jane, alone, in township vehicles to other locations, such as county parks that needed to be locked up at the end of the evening," the lawsuit said.
One June 13, 2016, a firefighter told the fire chief "that Bell was showing inappropriate affection and attention to Jane ... ."
In response, Shipley, the deputy chief at the time, told Bell that others were concerned about what they considered to be an "inappropriate relationship with" the girl. Bell was defensive and said he was only trying to help her. Her parents, Boy Scouts and police were not notified.
Boy Scouts calls for any suspected abuse to be immediately reported to a Boy Scout executive.
The lawsuit said the girl was particularly susceptible to grooming - "special attention, affection, compliments, gifts, isolation, secrecy, blame and threats" - because of mild cognitive problems, a chronic health condition, her trust in authority and her naivete.
The lawsuit said Bell became "extremely controlling" and talked about leaving the country with the girl to start a new life.
"Bell forbade Jane from seeing other boys, having male friends, or going to school dances," the lawsuit said.
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