Woonsocket Radio News Room

 

Former Boy Scouts camp staffer indicted for child

 

molestation

 

 

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Attorney General Peter F. Neronha announced that the Statewide Grand Jury returned an indictment charging a former staff member at the Yawgoog Scout Reservation with sexually assaulting a male victim under the age of 13 in 1986.

 

On November 3, 2021, the Statewide Grand Jury returned a sealed indictment charging Richard McGrath (age 58) of Charlton, Massachusetts, with one count of second-degree child molestation.

 

After the sealed indictment was returned, a warrant was issued for the arrest of McGrath, who was arraigned today at a hearing in Washington County Superior Court.

 

As alleged in the indictment, the charge against the defendant stems from his actions while he was a staff member at the Yawgoog Scout Reservation, operated by the Boy Scouts of America.

 

“This Office is committed, in partnership with the Rhode Island State Police, to the thorough investigation of all allegations of child sexual abuse, whether those allegations involve recent conduct or conduct dating back decades,” said Attorney General Neronha. “Far too many children in Rhode Island are subjected to such criminal misconduct; we have brought nearly 400 cases alleging the sexual assault of a child by an adult over the past five years alone. I am grateful to the Rhode Island State Police and this Office’s Special Victims Unit for their continued strong work to protect Rhode Island’s most vulnerable victims.”

 

McGrath was granted bail, which was set at $5,000 personal recognizance. The Court also issued a No Contact Order between McGrath and his alleged victim as a condition of his bail. McGrath is scheduled for a pretrial conference on January 4, 2022, in Washington County Superior Court.

 

Assistant Attorney General Timothy G. Healy and Special Assistant Jonathan E. Burke of the Office of the Attorney General and Detective Ian Andrade of the Rhode Island State Police are leading the investigation and prosecution of the case.

 

An indictment, information, or complaint is merely an allegation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

 

 

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