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Wednesday, July 9, 2008
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Camp counselor accused of sex crime
Cass County Correspondent WALKER - Part of a bigger national picture of how hard it is to protect children from sexual predators has hit home in Cass County.
Spencer Olin Krum, 19, Eugene, Ore., a counselor at YMCA Camp Olson, was arraigned June 26 in Cass County District Court on five counts of criminal sexual conduct for his alleged actions involving a 14-year-old female camper.
Cass County Attorney Christopher Strandlie and Camp Director Russ Link said in interviews Tuesday background checks show Krum has no prior criminal record.
Krum had been employed for two weeks at the time the incident occurred, Link said.
According to the court complaint filed against Krum, he encouraged a 14-year-old girl and a 16-year-old girl to sneak out of their cabins after dark to meet him. They reportedly met him about 1 a.m. and walked to an unoccupied building in the camp.
He asked them about their sexual fantasies and inquired about the extent of their sexual experiences, the complaint states. The complaint states then began kissing the younger girl and involved her in sexual activities, including oral sex, despite the fact she objected and reminded him several times that she is only 14 years old, the complaint indicates.
Link called the Cass County Sheriff's Department the next day when he was made aware of the incident.
Investigator Todd Switajewski interviewed Krum after reading his rights to him. The complaint indicates Krum admitted kissing the victim and touching her inappropriately and that at least part of their clothing was off during the incident.
Krum faces three counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and two counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct.
Link said Tuesday 90 percent of the 50 to 60 people Camp Olson employs are former campers, whom he has had a chance to observe as they grow up. Krum was not a former camper. Strandlie said Krum was a friend of someone who had previously worked at the camp.
Krum's name, like that of all staff, was run through the Dru Sjodin Sexual Offender Database and publicdata.com, Link said. All staff members receive general background checks. The camp requires reference checks.
Most employees are college students who are too young to have extensive adult criminal histories, Link said, adding many states do not make juvenile records public. In Minnesota, only people 16 or older who have felony records would have a public record.
Link said he strongly favors any additional access camps could get to potential prior records of job applicants. "The sad part is it would not have helped here," he said since Krum had no known prior offenses.
Camp Olson limits the number of international staff hired, because the camp administration cannot access criminal history information from other countries.
The camp has a policy against fraternizing between staff and campers, Link said. The camp also has two female counselors housed in each female camper cabin at night and two male staffers in each male camper cabin.
"Camp Olson has fully committed to the health, safety and welfare of each and every camper," Link said.
Krum no longer is employed at Camp Olson.
He has posted $100,000 bail and signed an extradition waiver, enabling him to return to his home state pending his next Cass County District Court appearance scheduled for July 14. Strandlie said Krum is required to live with his father, who has been entrusted with responsibility to ensure Krum will make all court appearances here.
Charlene Erickson, Cass County Sheriff's Department data compliance officer, said in an interview Tuesday that she can provide any business criminal history information from the county.
If a business wants information from a wider area, she refers them to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension or the FBI or Minnesota Court Administration. Those agencies only release data generally open to public record.
According to a July 7 Wall Street Journal article, Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., has sponsored a bill that recently passed the Senate Judiciary Committee, that "would give camps and other organizations broader access to federal crime data."
If Congress passes the bill, youth-service organizations could send $25 and a fingerprint for any job applicant or volunteer to the FBI for a comparison with FBI databases and a search for crimes that would make an applicant ineligible to work with children.
It still could not provide access to criminal databases of other countries, nor help if people have no prior criminal record.
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