Former Boy Scout leader sentenced for child rape
SALEM, Mass. -- A Haverhill man who served as a Boy Scout leader and once led the city's public library has been sentenced to prison for child rape.
Howard Curtis pleaded guilty Wednesday to sexually abusing a boy in his Boy Scout troop more than two decades ago. Prosecutors said the attacks began when the boy was 13 and continued for several years.
The 58-year-old Curtis was sentenced by a Salem Superior Court judge to two consecutive terms of four to six years in state prison. A defense attorney asked for probation, saying that Curtis had been the victim of abuse himself and had struggled with alcohol over the years.
The victim, who went to police in 2006, has also filed a civil suit in federal court against Curtis and the city of Haverhill.
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
