Thompson, Connecticut is a rural town of less than 10,000 residents nestled in the northeast corner of the state. It is a quiet, little New England town proud of its Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park and the idyllic lifestyle it offers.
That postcard-perfect idealism was recently shattered by the arrest of David Kress last month on three charges of “employing a minor in an obscene performance.” According to news reports, Kress, 52, is accused of sexually assaulting several boys in his troop from 1989 to 1999 while serving as a Boy Scout leader for Troop 66 in Thompson. Police said Kress provided the victims with alcohol and pornography before molesting them in a variety of places, including his home, homes where Kress installed counter tops, the Woodstock Fairgrounds, a college shower room, and on various camping trips, according to court documents.
Kress used typical grooming techniques so often associated with the sexual abuse of children. His case demonstrates that the Boy Scouts need to better train the kids in scouting to recognize and resist the activities that lead up to abuse. These activities may seem fun at first and tempt children, who do not realize that the molester is leading them to riskier and riskier behavior in order to molest them.
In addition to the grooming, Kress threatened at least one child. According to the Norwich Bulletin newspaper, Kress showed him a gun and told him it was “for his parents if he talked.”.