A Boy Scouts executive has been arrested on multiple counts of sexual battery and child molestation: police

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A Boy Scouts executive has been arrested on multiple counts of sexual battery and child molestation: police
Troop leader Scott Mulkey said he and 24 Boy Scouts arrived to an empty lot in Florida instead of their booked Airbnb rentals.George Frey/Getty Images
  • John Bruce Larsen, an executive with the BSA's Central Florida Council, was arrested on Friday.
  • Larsen was arrested on multiple sexual battery and child molestation counts.
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A Boy Scouts of America executive from the organization's Florida council was arrested on Friday and charged with multiple counts of sexual battery and child molestation.

John Bruce Larsen, a district executive for the Central Florida Council, is accused of two counts of sexual battery on a child less than 12 years of age, two counts of sexual battery on a child while in familial or custodial authority, and four counts of lewd molestation of children under the age of 12, according to police records.

Three boys recounted to police incidents during which they said they'd been sexually and inappropriately touched by Larsen. Two of the boys are believed to be siblings. Larsen was taken into custody on Friday, according to the Fox affiliate WOFL.

The Orange County Sheriff's Office, which issued the arrest warrant, did not immediately return Insider's request for comment. Insider was unable to reach Larsen, who is being held at the Volusia County Jail, according to the legal news outlet Law & Crime.

One of the two brothers told his mom that "Larsen has been touching him and performing sexual acts on him since he was approximately eight years old," according to the arrest report obtained by WOFL. Larsen also touched the other brother " multiple times" "while he was at Larsen's residence," the arrest report says, according to WOFL.

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The third boy, according to WOFL, also said Larsen has been touching him inappropriately since he was eight years old.

It's unclear whether the three children are Boy Scouts themselves, and it's unclear whether there are more victims.

"Because of the role he held in the community, detectives believe there could be more victims," a spokesperson with the Sheriff's Office told WOFL.

In a statement, the Central Florida Council of the Boys Scouts of America called the alleged actions "reprehensible" and said organizational leadership barred Larsen "from participation in Scouting" after learning of the counts against him.

"We added Mr. Larsen to the BSA's Volunteer Screening Database which prevents him from any future registration and participation in Scouting, including employment," said the statement from Eric Magendantz, CEO of the Central Florida Council of the Boy Scouts of America.

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"Nothing is more important than the safety and protection of the youth in our programs — it is our top priority," the statement continued. "The BSA has some of the strongest youth protection policies of any youth-serving organization, which are informed by respected experts in the fields of child safety, law enforcement, and child psychology.

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