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Four local allegations included in ‘perversion files’

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Four allegations of sexual abuse among Boy Scouts of America troop leaders in Huntington Beach appear in a Los Angeles Times database recently compiled from Scouting and court records.

The Times, which owns the Huntington Beach Independent, last month published 1,200 previously unreleased documents related to the Scouts’ so-called perversion files, which the organization used to keep tabs on accusations of sexual misconduct.

The Boy Scouts were ordered by the Oregon Supreme Court to release the files — with names of minors and other identifying information redacted — after losing an Oregon lawsuit. Before they were released, the files were kept internally by the organization to prevent suspected child abusers from rejoining.

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Though there are four cases of alleged sexual abuse in Huntington Beach, only two have documents outlining each event. Information regarding the other instances has yet to be released by the Boy Scouts, but the database states they occurred in 1994 and 1996.

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First H.B. case

David Negrette, a then-25-year-old scoutmaster, was accused of sexually abusing one of the boys in his troop in 1988.

The Boy Scouts suspended Negrette’s registration renewal in May 1988 for alleged “inappropriate behavior.”

A letter written by one of his Scout members dated May 4, 1988, describes an alleged event that took place a few days earlier on May 1. The Scout, who was 12 at the time, was asked by Negrette to help him with the Scout newsletter, but was later asked to enter in sexual activity, the letter asserts.

After Negrette was removed by the Boy Scouts, he was arrested in April 12, 1989, for allegedly being involved in a ring that produced and distributed pornographic videos of minors from Mexico and Southern California, according to a Los Angeles Times article.

The Times’ article also stated that Negrette and others involved with the case were members of NAMBLA, the North American Man-Boy Love Assn.

Carl Dobos, a manager of the Westminster mobile home park he lived in at the time, was shocked to see the Scoutmaster arrested.

“He was always real nice — a quiet fellow, always well-dressed and never a problem,” he told The Times.

Negrette pleaded guilty and was sentenced to five years of probation, according to Orange County Superior Court records.

Just four months later, Negrette was arrested again, this time facing “four counts of lewd acts with a child and one count of crimes against children,” according to the Orange County Register.

Between his involvements with the Boy Scouts, Negrette participated in the Big Brother program.

He was released from that program in July 1986 after one of his “little brothers” “told his mother that Negrette had shown him sexually explicit pictures and made a ‘pass’ at him,” according to the Register.

Negrette pleaded guilty to two of the four counts of lewd acts and not guilty to the other charges. He was then sentenced to 482 days in jail with three years of probation, according to Orange County Superior Court records.

Negrette or his attorney could not be located for comment by The Independent, which searched public records for his whereabouts.

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Second H.B. case

The second local case included in the records turned over to The Times involves Al J. LaBadie. A file, which was included in the court documents released to The Times, was opened in 1987 regarding the then 40-year-old Huntington Beach resident working with computers for GTE at the time.

LaBadie was removed from the Boy Scouts after members alleged he molested Scouts as an Eagle Scoutmaster, according to the court files.

But in a Feb. 25, 1991, letter by Paul Ernst, director of registration and statistical services for the Boy Scouts at the time, to Kent Gibbs, Orange County Council Scout executive, LaBadie wasn’t allowed to register with the Boy Scouts “simply because he is a member of [the National Eagle Scout Assn.].”

Court records show that no charges were filed against LaBadie.

The Scouting records also show that he was married and had two sons.

A letter dated Nov. 25, 1987, was written by an alleged victim.

“From then on Al [LaBadie] and I only saw each other at meetings or just spoke on the phone about Scout things. Nothing else happened between us,” the Scout wrote. “I don’t know why I didn’t say anything earlier. I guess I was just glad it stopped.”

According to a website, which used the Social Security Death Master File, a man with a similar name died on March 7, 1991. It could not be confirmed if this is the same man named in the Scouting records.

anthonyclark.carpio@latimes.com

Twitter: @acocarpio

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