More Cry Sex Abuse in Case of Convicted Boy Scout Leader

Burbank Park District named in lawsuit against convicted serial pedophile, Thomas Hacker.

Additional lawsuits were filed Wednesday against a currently incarcerated sex abuse convict who served as an Scout leader, schoolteacher and park district executive. Connect with Patch: Oak Lawn / Evergreen Park / Beverly-Mt. Greenwood Thomas Hacker, now 76, is serving a sentence on multiple convictions of aggravated criminal sexual abuse of young boys. The victims' reports date back to the 1980s and four others came forward this week, leading to even more charges filed in the Circuit Court of Cook County. The latest victims allege that they were also sexually abused as children. They claim they suppressed memories of the alleged abuse until recent news reports of Hacker’s name surfacing among the 1,200 secret “perversion” files compiled …

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Aspiring Eagle Scout Hosts Item Drive for PADS Homeless Shelter

Local scout Eddie Seitz is holding an items drive for the homeless for his Eagle community service project on Feb. 17, at Our Lady of Loretto in Hometown. B96 DJ Nikki is spinning the tunes.

Help Eddie Seitz Soar With the Eagles

Local aspiring Eagle Scout is collecting donations for the homeless at event featuring live music and entertainment at Our Lady of Loretto Church in Hometown this Sunday, Feb. 17.

He’s Eddie Seitz and he’s poised to achieve the highest rank that the Boy Scouts have to offer. This Hometown Boy Scout is on the final leg of his journey to earning his Eagle rank where he’ll be hosting an item drive featuring refreshments, live music and entertainment at Our Lady of Loretto Church, 8925 S. Kostner Ave. in Hometown, from noon to 2 p.m. Sunday. Eddie, 17, who belongs to Troop 682, is collecting toiletries, socks, underwear, sweatshirts and jeans for his Eagle service project. The items will be donated to Pilgrim Faith United Church of Christ’s PADS homeless shelter in Oak Lawn. Patch caught up with Eddie to learn more about the process for becoming an Eagle Scout. Patch: How long have you been in scouting? Eddie Seitz: I …

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Peggy McClanahan

10:24 am on Friday, February 15, 2013

Awesome project, Eddie! Thanks for all your effort on this. Make sure you invite me to your Eagle ceremony.   more ›

Boy Scout Leaders to Vote on Anti-Gay Policy

The decision whether to allow gays in the scouts may soon be a local one depending on Wednesday's vote.

One year after reaffirming its stance against gay membership, the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) will vote this week on whether to lift the ban, the Chicago Tribune reports. The BSA board is convening at the organization’s headquarters in Texas to discuss the controversial decision, reports say. The board has said it will consider lifting the national restriction against gay membership, instead leaving the call up to local troop leaders. A Wednesday vote will determine how the group proceeds, but there’s already plenty of influence on both sides of the fence. On Sunday, President Barack Obama strongly voiced his support for equal access to the organization, regardless of sexual orientation. However, other notable figures such as Texas …

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Local Teen Adopting Homeless Cause for Eagle Scout Project

Hometown Boy Scout Eddie Seitz is collecting personal care items for the homeless. Drop-off boxes and benefit are planned.

Local Boy Scout Adopting Homeless Cause for Eagle Scout Project

Eddie Seitz is collecting personal items for homeless and is hosting a benefit and placed drop-off boxes around the area for Eagle scout rank.

Sex Offender Scout Master Sued by Man With Supressed Abuse Memories

The former Burbank resident is also suing the Boy Scouts of America.

An unidentified man is suing the Boy Scouts of America and a sex offender former scoutmaster for allegedly abusing him for two years in the 1980s. "This is a travesty," Chicago attorney Christopher Hurley said of the abuse allegedly suffered by his client at the hands of convicted sex offender and former scoutmaster Thomas Hacker. "The Boy Scouts have known they've had a problem in their organization for decades," Hurley said. Hacker, 76, has been declared a sexually dangerous person and is serving an indefinite sentence in Big Muddy River Correctional Center. He has sex crime convictions out of Cook, Kendall and Kankakee counties. Hacker's name was found among the 1,200 or so secret "perversion" files compiled by the Boy Scouts. The files…

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Look Up Boy Scout Leaders Expelled in Illinois

Almost 300 Illinois records are included in the Boy Scouts of America's once-secret "perversion files." Search for your town or troop number.

Patch's searchable database allows you to search by cities in Illinois. Information gathered by the Los Angeles Times shows the leaders of the Boy Scouts of America who were expelled between 1947 and 2005 on suspicions or confirmation of sexual abuse. If a troop is listed, a case file exists. At this time, not all case files are available online. As new documents become available, Patch will update this database.

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PatchCast: A Daily Video Report

Daily PatchCast: Mass Graves, Scouts Swindled and Sliders

A daily video recap of the Southland's top stories

Thief Drains Boy Scout Troop's Bank Account Toddler Found Dead in New Lenox Township Cemetery President 'Surprised' by Sheriff’s Mass Graves Accusation Girls Basketball: Mother McAuley Ousts Oak Lawn It's What You Crave: The White Castle Debate (Video)

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