This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A former Herriman Boy Scout leader pleaded guilty Tuesday to molesting an 11-year-old boy in March.
Lyle Scott Mackay, 46, was charged in March with aggravated sexual abuse of a child, a first-degree felony, in 3rd District Court. His sentencing is set for Jan. 30.
Mackay faces five years to life in prison for the crime.
A charging document says the victim went to the home of Mackay, his Scout leader at the time, to play a board game on March 18. After arriving, the boy learned that Mackay wanted to watch a college basketball game instead and took him into the bedroom, according to the document.
Mackay had the boy sit on his lap and then fondled him, charges state. The child told his mother what had happened, charges state, and she contacted police that evening.
Mackay allegedly told a Unified Police Department detective that he had also been the victim's Cub Scout leader when the boy was younger, and that they had done a lot together previously, but with other Scouts and leaders.
The March 18 incident was the first time Mackay had been alone with the boy in his bedroom, according to the charging document.
Mark Griffin, an executive with the Great Salt Lake Council of Boy Scouts of America, said in an email Friday that the behavior referenced in allegations against Mackay is "unacceptable and runs counter to everything for which the Boy Scouts of America stands."
Once the organization learned of the allegations against Mackay, Griffin said, it "took immediate action to remove this individual and preclude him from any further participation in the Scouting program."
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