Former Cub Scout Leader Is Convicted of Molesting 3 Boys

SANTA ANA — A former Cub Scout leader in Dana Point was convicted Tuesday of molesting three boys he befriended through Scouting.

A jury deliberated about eight hours before finding Gary Lee Gephart, 39, of Oceanside, guilty of kidnapping and lewd conduct with children. The victims ranged from 7 to 12 years old.

Jurors also found that substantial sexual conduct had taken place and convicted Gephart of a special allegation of multiple victims. The panel deadlocked on allegations involving a fourth boy, and the charge was dismissed.

Gephart, an assistant leader for Dana Point Cub Scout Pack 713, faces up to life in state prison. He is scheduled to be sentenced May 10 by Orange County Superior Court Judge Leonard H. McBride.

Gephart was arrested in June after an 11-year-old Scout alleged he was fondled while the two shared a tent on a camping trip at Doheny State Beach. Additional charges were filed a few weeks later when other boys also said Gephart had molested them from January 1993 to June 1995.

Gephart became friends with the victims through Scouting, “at some point crossing the line into lewd conduct,” said Deputy Dist. Atty. Rosanne Froeberg.

The former Scout leader showed no reaction to the verdict.

His lawyer, Deputy Public Defender Jean Wilkinson, declined to comment.