In 1987, Gary Dahlgren, a Junior High teacher in Enterprise Oregon, applied for employment with the Boy Scouts at the same time as he was being investigated for inappropriate behavior with a 13-year-old student in his science class. According to the investigation report, Dahlgren sat next to the student and rubbed his foot up and down her leg while staring at her and smiling. She told her mother and reported these incidents (she reported that it had happened on 12 other occasions) to school officials.
Even though it appeared that Dahlgren had a history of similar behavior, and school officials and the district attorney believed the student’s allegations, no criminal charges were filed against Dahlgren. As a condition for no charges being filed, Dahlgren had to submit to a psychological evaluation and apologize to the victim.
In an internal memo concerning Dahlgren’s application to the Boy Scouts for employment, it is noted that if the information from the District Attorney’s office had not come to their attention, Dahlgren probably would have been hired by the Scouts. The internal memo also mentions that this information came to the Boy Scouts “by accident,” which demonstrates the BSA’s lack of formal background screening for their applicants.