Boy Scout volunteer accused of sexual abuse
Police are checking for possible victims of a longtime volunteer with a Boy Scout troop in north Houston who now faces accusations of child sexual abuse.
Ulf Gerrit Lueders, 41, was charged in August with continuous sexual abuse of a child and online solicitation of a minor, according to court records. He volunteered with the Boy Scouts of America’s Sam Houston Area Council from 2010 until the day after his arrest in mid-August, according to an email from council spokesman Shane Burks.
Lueders, a Spring resident, worked with Troop 111, Ship 846 and Crew 762, which are in north Houston, according to a news release from the Houston Police Department.
His attorney, David Cunningham, said Lueders will vigorously contest the criminal charges.
“Mr. Lueders adamantly denies any improper touching … children,” Cunningham wrote in an email. “He did not touch any Boy Scouts or take advantage of his position in scouting. We invite the police to inquire with the Scouts.”
The attorney added that the accusations stemmed from a contentious divorce proceeding.
“He denies the solicitation charge and looks forward to his day in court,” Cunningham wrote.
Police acknowledged they have no indication that Lueders abused any of the scouts with whom he volunteered. However, authorities said because Lueders had access to
children through the organization, they needed to alert families.
“Right now, we don’t have any reason to believe that anything happened, but we are deeply concerned,” said Luis Menendez-Sierra, investigator in HPD’s special victims division. “Usually with the nature of these crimes, it doesn’t stop with one victim.”
Lueders is accused of sexually abusing one child beginning in June 2010 and another child beginning in January 2014. Both were younger than 14 at the times of the alleged abuse. HPD officials did not confirm if either of the children were involved with the Boy Scouts.
Lueders is also accused of contacting someone who he believed to be under the age of 17 online with the intent of having sex with that person.
Menendez-Sierra said that since August, investigators have contacted 87 families whose children would have interacted with Lueders through his volunteer work with the Boy Scouts.
The department waited several months to publicize the charges due to a disruption in the investigation caused by Hurricane Harvey and the goal of reaching as many families as possible before alerting the media, Menendez-Sierra said.
Investigators are still determining the scope of Lueders’ involvement with the scouts.
More victims possible
At a news conference Wednesday, MenendezSierra described Lueders as being “heavily involved” with the organization.
As a German national, Lueders likely had ties to international branches of the organization, MenendezSierra said. So far, investigators have confirmed that Lueders traveled abroad with scouts to Guatemala. Initial investigations show the scouts Lueders went abroad with likely were not members of Houston-area troops, HPD spokeswoman Jodi Silva said.
HPD is working with the Department of Homeland Security for more information about Lueders’ international travel, MenendezSierra said
Investigators believe Lueders has interacted with more children than those in the families they have already contacted. They also believe there may be more victims. On Wednesday, police asked for anyone whose children may have interacted with Lueders to speak with their kids.
Lueders was arrested Aug. 16. and has been free on bail since Aug. 24. Lueders does not have a criminal record, according to Harris County court records.
He was removed him from all volunteer roles with the Boy Scouts on Aug. 17, according to the email from Burks, the scout spokesman.
Shocking allegations
The organization immediately provided HPD five years’ worth of Lueders’ volunteer records, Menendez-Sierra added.
Tom Varnell, scout executive and CEO of the Sam Houston Area Council, issued a statement saying the allegations against Lueders came as a shock to the Boy Scouts organization.
“The behavior included in these allegations is abhorrent and runs counter to everything for which the Boy Scouts of America stands,” the statement reads. “We were shocked to learn of these allegations and took immediate action to remove this individual and prohibit him from any future participation in our programs. We are working closely with law enforcement on this matter and encourage any victims to contact the Harris County Sheriff ’s Office.”
Varnell said the Boy Scouts conduct extensive background checks and screening to prevent harm to youths in the program.
“Nothing is more important than the safety of our youth members. We seek to prevent child abuse through comprehensive policies and procedures to serve as barriers to abuse,” Varnell said in the statement. “These include a thorough screening process for adult leaders and staff, criminal background checks, requiring two or more adult leaders be present with youth at all times during Scouting activities, and the prompt mandatory reporting of any allegation or suspicion of abuse.”
The scouting organization offers assistance with counseling to any scout, former scout or family members of any scout who suffered abuse during their time in scouting. BSA operates a 24/7 Scouts First Hotline at 1-844-726-8871 or by email at scouts1st@scouting.org to help with sensitive matters and to report any suspicions of inappropriate behavior, according to the statement.
Anyone with information about additional victims or whose children may have had contact with Leuders can contact the HPD special victims division at 713-830-3254 or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.