Oak Forest Man's Child Porn Charges Not Tied To Scouts: Police

OAK FOREST, IL — The arrest of a former Oak Forest Cub Scout committee chairman on child pornography charges does not appear to be tied with incidents involving his time with the Boy Scouts of America, police said.

"Our investigation was very narrow in scope and did not involve any incidents with the Boy Scouts of America," said Michael Szos, Buffalo Grove's deputy chief of police.

Jason Akai, 44, of Oak Forest is being held at the Lake County Jail on $1 million bond in connection with solicitation of child pornography and production of child pornography of a child under 13. Both are Class X felonies.

He no longer serves with Oak Forest Pack 341 or the organization as a whole, said Jeff Isaac, CEO of the Pathway to Adventure Council of the Boy Scouts of America.

“This behavior is reprehensible and runs counter to everything for which the Boy Scouts of America stands," he said. "Upon learning of these reports, we immediately removed this individual and prohibited him from any future participation in our programs."

He added that the organization has built several layers of safeguards to protect children in its programs, including mandatory training, criminal background checks and mandatory reporting. It also uses the Volunteers Screening Database, recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to ensure that leaders who were removed from the Scouts are prohibited from joining again.

“The safety and protection of children is the most important priority of the Boy Scouts of America," he said.

Representatives from Pack 341 have not responded to requests for comment.