Sea Scouts Leader Arrested

The leader of the Berkeley Sea Scouts was arrested yesterday on suspicion of molesting several young boys in the organization.

Kensington resident Eugene Evans, 64, was booked at the Berkeley Jail Facility at 8:45 a.m. yesterday on six felony charges, said Berkeley police Sgt. Mary Kusmiss.

The charges include lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14 years of age, penetration with a foreign object where the victim is 14 years of age or under, providing harmful material in order to seduce a child and oral copulation, she said.

Evans, who has been the leader of the Berkeley Sea Scouts for the past 35 years, is a retired teacher from Encinal High School in Alameda, Kusmiss said. The organization is made up of teenage boys who meet to conduct maritime activities.

An investigation began Nov. 14 when a young man and his family contacted detectives and identified him as a victim of sexual assault by Evans.

“With an investigation like this, our concern is that too much window of opportunity may exist for someone like Mr. Evans to continue to sexually abuse young people, so detectives worked as quickly as they could in order to ... arrest Mr. Evans,” Kusmiss said.

Since the initial report, Kusmiss said detectives have interviewed three additional victims willing to participate in the investigation, and she said she expects more to come forward.

Thus far, Kusmiss said all reports have been of molestation of boys between the ages of 13 and 17 and have taken place on the Sea Scouts’ boat.

“We are quite certain that there are more victims of Mr. Evans, just based solely on the longevity of his work with youth,” Kusmiss said.

Police served a search warrant at several locations, including Evans’ residence, and are searching his computer for evidence of any media that may refer to the molestations, Kusmiss said.

The Sea Scouts had enjoyed free berthing privileges at the Berkeley Marina from 1945 until 1997, when the city rescinded its subsidy because of the scouts’ refusal to admit gays and atheists.

The California Supreme Court defeated an appeal last year by the Sea Scouts, with Evans as the lead plaintiff.

He is currently being held at Santa Rita Jail in Dublin on $1 million bail.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Berkeley Police Department Youth Services Detail at 510-981-5715.

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