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Cops: Boy Scouts Leader Gave Teen LSD, Alcohol

Boy Scout leader arrest
A 32-year-old assistant scout master allegedly provided a 13-year-old Boy Scouts member LSD and alcohol. (SCPD)

A 32-year-old assistant scout master from West Babylon was arrested last weekend for providing a teenage Boy Scout with LSD, marijuana and alcohol earlier this month, Suffolk County police said.

Lawrence Moschitta was charged with endangering the welfare of a child and unlawfully dealing with a child. He was arraigned on Tuesday and bail was set at $2,500.

Moschitta, who serves as an assistant scoutmaster at Boy Scouts Troop 183, allegedly used the drugs in the 13-year-old’s presence, said Timothy Sini, Suffolk police’s deputy commissioner, during a press conference Thursday. Moschitta allegedly shared the drugs and alcohol with the teen at Moschitta’s home on Dec. 3, Sini said.

Sini declined to say if the victim used any of the drugs or alcohol, and he wouldn’t elaborate on the teen’s condition because of his status as a minor. LSD, also known as acid, is a hallucinogenic drug that is classified Schedule 1 by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the federal agency’s most serious designation of illegal drugs, meaning it has no recognized medical value and does pose a dangerous risk of psychological harm.

When asked by a reporter why it took four days for police to publicly release information about Moschitta’s arrest, Sini cited the sensitivity of the investigation.

“It would be reckless for the police department to come out prematurely before we ascertained all the relevant facts,” Sini said.

The CEO of the Suffolk County Council of the Boy Scouts could not immediately be reached for comment.

The Associated Press reported Wednesday that Moschitta had been removed from the troop and is no longer a member, according to a letter from the Boy Scouts to parents.