The Boston Globe reports that the number of people alleging they were sexually assaulted at Camp Good News in Sandwich climbed as 13 alleged victims have now detailed widespread abuse at the camp, spanning three decades and involving up to four employees.
It is unclear whether any of the former campers were sexually assaulted by the counselor who allegedly fondled US Senator Scott Brown. The senator, in his autobiography, has said he was abused at an unnamed Cape Cod religious camp when he was 10 years old.
Officials at the camp, founded in 1935 by Wyeth and Grace Willard and still operated by their family, announced Friday night that it will be closed this summer and issued an apology to campers who may have been harmed there. Officials said they need to review every aspect of camp operations before reopening.
The American Camp Association stripped the camp of its accreditation last week, but it remains licensed by the town of Sandwich.
A longtime camp employee, Charles “Chuck” Devita, 43, shot himself to death in a car outside the camp last Wednesday after learning he was under investigation for alleged sexual abuse at the site, authorities said.
