MAN ALSO WORKED AS BOY SCOUT LEADER
DOES THE PENTAGON EVEN SCREEN EMPLOYEES??? BOY I FEEL SAFE…
Fairfax County police have arrested a Boy Scouts leader and civilian Army employee at the Pentagon on charges that he had child pornography stored on his home computer.
David Michael Polski, 40, of 2400 Misty Dawn Drive in Herndon, was arrested about 3 p.m. Tuesday at the Pentagon and charged with five counts of possession of child pornography.
Investigators would not disclose what led them to the arrest but said the scope of the investigation does not extend beyond Mr. Polski.
"There was an investigation that led to a search, and some child pornography was found on his home computer," said Officer Beth Funston, a spokeswoman for the Fairfax County Police Department.
Mr. Polski has two teenage daughters and was an active Boy Scouts volunteer until the organization learned of his arrest yesterday.
However, the Girl Scouts did not reappoint him as a volunteer as far back as last year, after unconfirmed reports of a troubled home life. Neighbors said his wife and daughters moved out of their Herndon house two weeks ago.
Lt. Col. Rose-Ann Lynch, a spokeswoman for the Defense Department, said only that Mr. Polski was a civilian Army employee. It was not clear whether the pornography on the computer had been downloaded or whether it had been produced by Mr. Polski.
Mike Butler, a spokesman for the National Capital Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America, confirmed that Mr. Polski had been actively registered among a committee of volunteer leaders with Troop 128 in McLean since at least 2000. The troop has a membership of about 50 boys who are 11 or older.
"We’re completely shocked," Mr. Butler said, adding that Mr. Polski’s membership was revoked immediately upon the disclosure of the arrest.
He said that volunteer leaders "take a role that could be varied within scouting" and that "most committee members do not have direct involvement with the troop."
But he had no specific knowledge of Mr. Polski’s role within the organization. Mr. Butler said he called the chaplain in charge of the Scout troop and other key adults to notify them of the arrest.
"There is no indication that I have been given that any of these allegations occurred within the context of scouting," said Mr. Butler, who was not aware of any complaints lodged against Mr. Polski.
Charlene Meidlinger, assistant executive director of the Girl Scout Council of the Nation’s Capital, said Mr. Polski and his wife worked with the Ashgrove West-Association 51 troop in Fairfax.
She said organization leaders became aware of "issues coming out of their marriage," but she would not elaborate.
"We just decided not to reappoint him," Mrs. Meidlinger said.
Boy Scouts and the Girl Scouts representatives said they have policies prohibiting adult volunteers from being alone with children.