Mental Health

More Sex Abuse Charges Filed Against Former Youth Coach

By Harriet McLeod | Update Date: Mar 24, 2012 02:05 PM EDT

CHARLESTON, South Carolina (Reuters) - A grand jury in South Carolina on Wednesday indicted Louis "Skip" ReVille, a former school principal and youth coach, on charges of child sexual abuse involving 11 more victims, bringing to 26 the number of alleged victims.

The grand jury also charged him with more crimes involving 15 alleged victims mentioned in the original charges filed earlier this month.

Some of those ReVille is accused of abusing were former campers at The Citadel military college in Charleston. ReVille, a 2002 graduate of the college, worked as a camp counselor for three summers there in the early part of that decade.

The scandal gained national attention because The Citadel issued a public apology for its handling of the matter last November, just after a former Penn State University football coach was arrested and charged with serial sex abuse of boys.

On Monday, three young men who said they were abused by ReVille sued The Citadel and its president, John W. Rosa, accusing both of covering up a 2007 report from a camper that there had been sexual abuse. The lawsuits involved the former camper and two other young men who allege they were abused at other locations after ReVille left The Citadel.

ReVille worked as a coach at public and private schools and community recreation centers and was a school principal when he was arrested last fall.

In 2007, The Citadel's in-house lawyer investigated the abuse report but the school took no further action, documents show.

Charges against ReVille filed Wednesday include second-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor, committing lewd acts on a minor and distributing obscene materials to minors. Solicitor Scarlett Wilson said that her office believes more charges will be filed involving six more possible victims. The case will come to trial in late June, she said. Reville has not yet entered a formal plea, but police said he has admitted to the crimes and has cooperated with their investigation.

(Editing by Greg McCune)

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