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Boy, 5, Beaten Up by 12-Year-Old During Cub Scout Meeting While Scoutmaster Vaped, Lawsuit Claims
A 5-year-old was beaten by an older boy during a Cub Scout meeting while their scoutmaster was outside vaping, the child’s parents have alleged in a shocking lawsuit.
According to the suit, the 12-year-old had a history of tormenting the younger boy, who sustained serious injuries during the alleged attack at a church in Bowling Green, Ohio.
“I heard him yell for the first time and that is a sound that I will never, never forget as a mother,” the boy’s mom, Breanna Russell, told local outlet WTOL.
The scouts were involved in an indoor “snowball” fight with fake snowballs on Dec. 4 when the boy, referred to as D.R. in court documents, was attacked, according to The New York Post.
While the scoutmaster was out vaping, the preteen, known as L.C., allegedly punched D.R. in the head when he bent down to pick up a snowball. L.C. then knocked him over and stomped on his leg.
As a result, D.R. suffered a thigh fracture, the Russells say, noting their boy underwent surgery to repair a “serious and painful break in his thighbone,” the Post report continued.
The family is now suing Boy Scouts of America, the local chapter Erie Shores Council, the scoutmaster and L.C.’s father, alleging L.C. was improperly supervised given his history of aggression toward D.R. Breanna says the organization also failed to keep younger and older scouts separated.
According to the suit, per the Post, “Defendant L.C. has a history of physically attacking Plaintiff D.R. and had been told to keep his hands to himself on numerous occasions” before the incident.
D.R.’s physical injuries put him in a cast that has limited his mobility and left him unable to attend school, the suit said.
According to WTOL, Erie Shores Council said in a statement that the safety of youth in its programs remains a top priority but declined to comment further due to the ongoing litigation. Meanwhile, Bowling Green Police reportedly conducted an investigation, and the local prosecutor’s office declined to pursue criminal charges.
