Grewe, Charles

Ineligible Volunteer File on Charles Grewe

Added March 31, 1988

In around 1920, soon after the Boy Scouts of America (“BSA”) was formed, the organization began keeping files on adult leaders and volunteers who were alleged to have committed various crimes and offenses. The files are known today as the “Ineligible Volunteer” or the “I.V. Files.”

The I.V. Files are made up of six categories of offenses including Perversion, Morals, Financial, Leadership, Theft and Criminal. By far the largest category is the Perversion Files, or “P Files” as the BSA internally refers to them. The Perversion Files contain the names of adult leaders who have been accused of, or convicted in a criminal court of, molesting or otherwise sexually abusing Boy Scouts.

Disclaimer: The information contained in each of the I.V. files was created solely by the Boy Scouts of America. The I.V. files for the period 1965 through 1985 were made public pursuant to a court order. By the terms of the court’s order, the names and contact information of persons identified as victims of sexual abuse and those that reported the abuse were redacted. If the person identified as the reporter of alleged abuse was a professional Scouter, i.e., an individual employed by the Boy Scouts of America or an affiliate, then the person’s name was not redacted. In 2012, the I.V. Files for the period 1986 through 1991 were made available to the public through the Los Angeles Times.

The information in the Perversion Files concerns allegations of child sexual abuse. In a number of the cases, the allegations were later substantiated by court proceedings. However, in a great many cases no such substantiation ever occurred.

The first page of each I.V. File is a “Confidential Record Sheet,” which provides basic background information on each individual. The information includes the individual’s date of birth, daytime job, and most importantly, his troop number and the basics of the allegations of abuse.

The following information was taken directly from the Ineligible Volunteer file of Charles Grewe. If you continue to scroll down on this page, you will be able to view the entire file and/or download the entire file. If you have any problems downloading or viewing the file, please contact us.

Name

Charles Grewe

Organization

Boy Scouts of America

Troop Number(s)

Troop 43 (Lake Stevens, Washington)

Date Ineligible Volunteer File Opened

March 31, 1988
Residence City: Lake Stevens
Residence State: WA
Residence Zip: 98258
Date of Birth: December 19, 1957
Occupation: School Bus (durham Tranportation)
Weight: Unknown
Height: 6' 3"
Hair Color: Dark Brown
Eye Color: Brown
Summary: BSA’s Ineligible Volunteer File for Scout leader Charles Grewe is dated 1987, but public records show multiple boys from Lake Stevens, Washington, reported that Grewe molested them in 1981 while he was the Assistant Scoutmaster of Troop 44.  This information was reported to the Snohomish Sherriff’s Department and the Evergreen Area Council, but Grewe was allowed to continue in Scouting and was given a full-time position as the Aquatics Director at Fire Mountain Boy Scout Camp.  It is unclear if the reports of abuse in 1981 were provided to BSA’s National headquarters, but none of this information is in the IV file.  In addition, Grewe testified in a civil lawsuit that Fire Mountain’s camp director, Jack Siegal, knew about the 1981 abuse allegations.  Several ex-Scouts also testified in the civil lawsuit that they reported sexual abuse by Grewe on multiple occasions to camp lead.  Nonetheless, Grewe was allowed to continue working at the Fire Mountain Boy Scout Camp until 1987 when he was accused, and later convicted, of sexually abusing numerous grade school children through his position as a school bus driver in the Everett School District.  During the criminal trial, several Scouts from Fire Mountain testified about the abuse they experienced at the camp.  Many other victims have come forward since that time with abuse allegations against Grewe and have brought lawsuits against the Boy Scouts of America for allegedly allowing a known child molester to be involved in the Scouting program.  

Approximate Location(s) where Charles Grewe Served

View the Actual File on Charles Grewe