Camper kidnapped, forced to drink urine

Four Boy Scouts will never again be allowed to call themselves scouts after being revoked for life following an assault at Camp Shands. The four, including an Eagle Scout, are accused of holding a 12-year-old down, duct-taping his mouth and forcing him to drink human urine.

“These actions do not represent the principles of scouting, they will not be tolerated, and accordingly their membership in scouting has been revoked,” Jack Sears said of the Boy Scouts.

On Friday, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office said the 12-year-old was asked by 21-year-old Joseph Reid to walk back to his campsite. On the way, the boy told deputies that four other Scouts jumped him, forced him to the ground and taped his mouth.

The 12-year-old said the scouts then took him off into the woods and told them they were going to “teach him a lesson” for making derogatory remarks toward another scout. The boy told police that the four told him he could either get beaten up, or drink human urine. He said before he could answer, Reid ripped the duct tape off his mouth and forced him to drink a bottle of urine.

“The scout leaders involved were near the incident and were not aware of what was going on.  That’s why the boy ran to go find them,” Sears said.

The 12-year-old notified scout leaders who immediately called the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office. The boys were all taken into custody and deputies said they found duct tape and two bottles of urine at the site where the boy said he was assaulted. Deputies also confiscated a cell phone on which they said is a recording of the entire attack.

In addition to Reid, 16-year-old Harrison Reid, 15-year-old Kyler Brower and 16-year-old Nicholas Larsen were also arrested.  All four have been charged with Kidnapping a child under 13 and committing aggravated child abuse.  The teenagers have been turned over to the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice.