E. Flynn Menius, Jr., 89, of Hartsville, is listed in the Boy Scouts of America's Perversion Files.
The 14,000 pages of files were released last month and contain information about accused child molesters who were troop leaders and volunteers with the organization.
Menius was Scout Master for Hartsville Troop 512 from 1952 to 1964.
A letter made public in the Perversion Files dated April 21, 1964, says a troop committee removed Menius as Scout Master for "committing acts of perversion on the persons of five scouts."
Menius adamantly denies the allegations.
The letter says a father of two of the scouts complained and the charges were "found to be true."
The scouts' parents didn't want to prosecute, so Menius was never charged or arrested. The accusations were never turned over to police to investigate.
Menius says he didn't know the letter even existed until the Perversion Files were released.
"I never received that letter. And I've looked through my files and I don't have it."
Menius says he resigned as Scout Master because of conflicts with his job as an electrical engineer.
A copy of his resignation letter is also included in the files.
Menius says he believes those who know him will see past what's in the Perversion Files and into the good he says he's done, the lives he says he's impacted and his love he says he has for the Boy Scouts of America.
In a story of this nature, NewsChannel 15 would normally go to the people who accused Menius to get their side of the story.
In this case, that isn't possible because the names of Menius' five accusers weren't documented in the files.
We requested contact information from the Boy Scouts of America for the person who wrote the letter about Menius in 1964.
A spokesperson for Boy Scouts of America released the following statement regarding our request. "We are not able to provide contact information for the individuals you mention or confirm if they are deceased."
Deron Smith, Director of Public Relations for the BSA, released this additional statement:
"While it is difficult to understand or explain individuals' actions from many decades ago, today Scouting is a leader among youth-serving organizations in preventing child abuse. The BSA requires background checks; administers comprehensive training programs for volunteers, staff, youth, and parents; and mandates reporting of even suspected abuse. We have continuously enhanced our multi-tiered policies and procedures to ensure we are in line with and, where possible, ahead of society's knowledge of abuse and best practices for prevention."
You can learn more on how to prevent child sexual abuse by clicking here.
Click here for specific information for parents about recognizing the signs learning more about child sexual abuse.
