CRESCO, Iowa – A local Scout leader was arrested here Wednesday and charged with allegedly sexually molesting as many as 10 boys over a decade.
James Edward Hughes, 73, of 724 Third St. W., Cresco, was charged with four counts of third-degree sexual abuse and six counts of lascivious conduct with a minor.
A report filed in March 2021 with the Cresco Police Department sparked an investigation by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) of incidents from as early as 2008 and as recent as 2018 and involving male victims ranging in age from 13 to 16.
At the time of the alleged offenses, Hughes “was serving as a Boy Scout leader in the Twin Rivers district, which covers the Cresco area Scout Troop,” and he “also served as a Merit Badge counselor for the Boy Scouts of America and was a licensed physical therapist as his full-time employment,” according to court records.
Hughes is held in the Howard County Jail on a $46,000 cash or surety bond in advance of an initial appearance in Howard County District Court.
The DCI was assisted in their investigation by the Cresco Police Department, Howard County Attorney’s office and the office of the Attorney General of Iowa’s Statewide Prosecutions Section.
*A criminal charge is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
