Ohio Boy Scouts leader gets 8 years for sexually abusing boy

CLEVELAND (AP) — A former Ohio Boy Scouts leader who pleaded guilty to grooming and sexually abusing a troop member has received eight years in prison.

Cleveland.com reports 30-year-old Aaron Robertson apologized before sentencing today in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court. He pleaded guilty last month to multiple counts of sexual battery and gross sexual imposition.

The boy was 13 when he reported the abuse in 2016. The teen was in the courtroom. He submitted a letter that said he and other scouts in the Olmsted Falls troop looked up to Robertson, a volunteer firefighter and auxiliary police officer. He wrote that small touches by Robertson led to the sexual abuse.

Robertson's attorney argued for a shorter prison term saying the sex was consensual. Robertson must register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.