CHARLESTON, S.C., Nov. 13 (UPI) -- A student at The Citadel allegedly watched pornography and masturbated with two boys in his dorm room, the South Carolina military college said Saturday.
Officials at The Citadel expressed regret that while the allegation was investigated they didn't go to police.
In a letter posted on the South Carolina military college's Web site, Lt. Gen. John W. Rosa, the school's president, and Doug Snyder, the school's Board of Visitors chairman, said in 2007 a youth who had attended a campus camp five years earlier alleged then-Citadel student Louis Neal "Skip" ReVille and another camper had masturbated without touching each other while watching pornography in a campus dormitory. ReVille denied the accusation, school officials said.
"Because of the seriousness of the accusation, The Citadel's general counsel conducted an investigation immediately, including traveling to the individual and his family and conducting an interview," Rosa and Snyder said.
"Though the general counsel was unable to corroborate the accusation, the college continued its investigation with the camper's family, who made it clear they were very concerned about maintaining their privacy and not having their names publicized.
"Despite the concerns of the family, whose right to privacy was foremost on our minds, we regret that we did not pursue this matter further.
"Four years later Mr. ReVille faces serious charges. We continue to offer our cooperation with any and all police investigations. The Citadel family offers its thoughts and prayers to those who have been affected by these events."
The (Charleston) Post and Courier reported ReVille, who graduated in 2002 and went on to become a coach and educator, was arrested in Mount Pleasant recently and charged with sexually assaulting five teenage boys in other incidents.
ReVille, a 32-year-old father of triplets, also may face additional charges, police in Hanahan say.
The Citadel also said ReVille's involvement with the youth camp briefly overlapped that of fellow counselor Michael Arpaio, a former Marine officer who molested campers between 1995 and 2001. The Marines court-martialed Arpaio in 2003, the newspaper said.
The letter from The Citadel was posted in the wake of the sex abuse scandal at Penn State that has led to criminal charges against a former assistant football coach and two others, the firing of the school's head coach, Joe Paterno, and the resignation of the school's president.
