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HERRIMAN — Boy Scouts of America officials say they will immediately expel a leader who was criminally charged Thursday for allegedly molesting an 11-year-old boy from his troop after inviting the boy to his Herriman home.
Lyle Scott Mackay, 46, is charged in 3rd District Court with aggravated sexual abuse of a child, a first-degree felony.
Mackay, the boy's Boy Scouts leader, allegedly invited the boy to play a board game at his home at 12724 S. Diamondback Drive on March 18.
After the boy arrived, charging documents state, Mackay told him he wanted to watch college basketball with him instead "and escorted the victim into (Mackay's) bedroom."
There, Mackay put the boy on his lap and fondled him, charges state.
The boy's mother later picked her son up at Mackay's home and "noticed that her son was pale," court documents say.
"The victim told his mother about the molestation, and law enforcement was contacted that same evening," charges state.
Mackay allegedly told Unified police he was the boy's Boy Scout leader and former Cub Scout leader when the boy was younger. Charges say Mackay admitted to the boy's account of the incident and told police he had also scratched boy's back and put his arm around him prior to the sexual assault.
"(Mackay) stated that he had done a lot together with the victim, but those prior times included other Scouts and leaders. (Mackay) stated this was the first time he was alone with the victim inside his bedroom," charges state.
Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill said Thursday that the boy had been invited to "hang out and play at the Scout master’s house," but it was not an official Scouting activity.
Gill declined to comment about whether other boys were in the home at the time.
An arrest warrant was issued Thursday for Mackay, who was out of police custody. His bail will be set at $500,000, Gill said.
Mackay has no prior criminal record in Utah, according to court records.
Mark Griffin, executive for the Boy Scouts of America's Great Salt Lake Council, said he learned about the allegations upon being contacted by the Deseret News. The organization will act quickly to oust Mackay, he said.
"We’ll immediately remove him from the organization," Griffin said, adding that Mackay will have an opportunity to appeal his removal. "Our policy is as soon as these kinds of allegations … are made, we immediately remove (the person involved) … from membership of the Boy Scouts of America."
Such a removal will prevent Mackay from re-registering with Boy Scouts anywhere in the country, Griffin said.
Griffin didn't immediately know how long Mackay had volunteered for the Boy Scouts or to which troop he and the 11-year-old boy belonged.
Griffin later added, in a statement, that "the behavior included in these allegations is unacceptable and runs counter to everything for which the Boy Scouts of America stands."
“The safety of our youth members is of paramount importance, and we seek to prevent child abuse through a comprehensive program of education on the subject, the chartered organization leader selection process, criminal background and other checks, policies and procedures to serve as barriers to abuse, and the prompt mandatory reporting of any allegation or suspicion of abuse,” Griffin said in the statement.
