Former Oregon Sea Scouts Ship 602 Leader Allegedly Sexually Abused a 12 Year-old Boy

In 1979, Scout leader Gregory A. Benson was accused of sexually molesting a 12 year-old boy during an outing Tillamook County, Oregon. Benson was the leader of Sea Scouts Ship #602.

As a result of these allegations of child sexual abuse, the BSA created an IV file, which they also called a “Perversion File.”  Click here to download that file.

The Boy Scouts of America created these files on scout leaders and volunteers accused of taking part in inappropriate conduct with children, including sexually abusing, molesting, or exploiting Boy Scouts and Sea Scouts.

According to the Cascade Pacific Council BSA website, Sea Scouts is “a youth program that combines fun with the the adventure of boating and the intrigue of maritime tradition. Sea Scouts is a coed program offered by the Boy Scouts of America to young adults 14 years old (or 13 years and completed the eighth grade) through age 21.”

In the confidential letter from a Portland Police detective to Portland’s Director of Sea Scouting Duane Rhodes, they asked Rhodes to “consider this letter for your internal use only, and regard it as highly confidential.”  It also noted that Benson resigned his position after the sexual abuse allegations were reported.

According to the BSA records, Benson was a divorced Presbyterian and an electrical engineer who resided in Portland, Oregon.

If you have any information about former  Sea Scouts leader Gregory Benson, or about any Scout leader, we would like to talk to you on a confidential basis. Please contact us at 503-306-0224, or email us.