Parent: 6-year-old sexually abused at summer camp

Parents say they are outraged and afraid after a six-year-old was allegedly molested by a child twice his age. The victim says it happened at a Charlotte County summer camp and it is raising serious questions.

A six-year-old boy's mother says a day at summer camp for her son turned into sexual abuse.

Charlotte parents we spoke to said they are disgusted that the alleged abuser, according the victim's mother, is a 15-year-old boy.

"I don't think I would let my kid go back to that summer camp because that's their responsibility to watch those kids," said Charlotte parent Catlynn Anderson.

But county officials say they were doing just that.

"This is serious business. The children are our number one concern and we want to be sure to keep them safe," said John Jackson, Charlotte County Community Service Director.

But according to an incident report from the Charlotte Sheriff's Office, that safety was breached last week at South County Regional Park. The report states the six-year-old boy told his mother a 15-year-old boy touched him inappropriately while they were in the restroom together.

"It's scary to think that some one 15-years-old is molesting children," said parent Pam Crabtree.

"It's really hard with kids now because you can't be too trusting of people," added parent Samantha Chisholm.

"I think that falls back on the parents. I think the parents need to educate their children on what to do when they're confronted," Jackson said.

Deputies refused to comment on the incident, but said they're interviewing the victim's parents and trying to get to the bottom of what really happened.

So far, no charges have been filed.

"It makes me very angry that they're not doing anything about it," said Crabtree.

But Jackson says the county is doing something as they try to piece together what went wrong.

"We began that process on Friday once it appeared that there was a weakness in what we were doing," Jackson explained.

Deputies are still investigating this case but they're offering tips to parents:

- Always ask caretakers what precautions they have in place for children using public restroom.

PARENTS SAY 6 YEAR OLD ABUSED AT SUMMER CAMP | WENG 1530 AM - 107.5 FM

CHARLOTTE COUNTY OFFICIALS ARE TRYING TO DETERMINE HOW A SIX YEAR OLD WAS ALLEGEDLY MOLESTED AT A SUMMER CAMP LAST WEEK.  WBBH TV SAYS THE BOY’S MOTHER FILED AN INCIDENT REPORT WITH THE CHARLOTTE COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE AFTER HER SON SAID A 15 YEAR OLD BOY TOUCHED HIM WHILE THEY WERE IN A BATHROOM AT SOUTH COUNTY REGIONAL PARK.  NO CHARGES HAVE BEEN FILED AS OF YET, BUT JOHN JACKSON, CHARLOTTE COUNTY COMMUNITY SERVICE DIRECTOR SAYS THEY ARE LOOKING INTO THE INCIDENT AND HAVE CHANGED SOME OF THEIR PROCEDURES.  DEPUTIES ARE STILL INVESTIGATING AND THEY ARE OFFERING SOME TIPS TO PARENTS.  THEY SAY ALWAYS ASK CARETAKERS WHAT PRECAUTIONS THEY HAVE IN PLACE FOR CHILDREN USING PUBLIC RESTROOMS.  ALSO, CHILDREN SHOULD USE THE BUDDY SYSTEM IN PUBLIC PLACES, AND PARENTS SHOULD EXPLAIN THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GOOD AND BAD TOUCHES.

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