Former Boy Scout Camp Employee Charged With Child Molestation

EXETER, RI — A former staff member at the Boy Scout Yawgoog Scout Reservation was indicted for child molestation, Attorney General Peter Neronha announced Monday. Richard McGrath, 58, was accused of assaulting a boy under 13 years old in 1986.

The statewide grand jury returned a sealed indictment Wednesday charging McGrath, a resident of Charlton, Massachusetts, with one count of second-degree child molestation. A warrant was then issued for McGrath's arrest, and he was arraigned Monday.

The indictment accused McGrath of molesting the boy while he worked at Yawgoog Scout Reservation, which is operated by the Boy Scouts of America.

"This Office is committed, in partnership with the Rhode Island State Police, to the thorough investigation of all allegations of child sexual abuse, whether those allegations involve recent conduct or conduct dating back decades," Neronha said. "Far too many children in Rhode Island are subjected to such criminal misconduct; we have brought nearly 400 cases alleging the sexual assault of a child by an adult over the past five years alone. I am grateful to the Rhode Island State Police and this Office’s Special Victims Unit for their continued strong work to protect Rhode Island’s most vulnerable victims."

At his arraignment, McGrath was released on $5,000 bail and was issued a no contact order with the alleged victim. He is scheduled to appear in court again in January.