HAMILTON TOWNSHIP - Police are searching for a female counselor accused of fondling 10 or more young girls at Camp Butterworth on Sunday.
Leaders at the Warren County Girl Scouts Camp also could face charges because they did not immediately alert authorities to the incident, and they allowed the counselor to catch a bus bound for New York before notifying parents or police, officials said.
Warren County authorities told The Enquirer Tuesday that camp officials learned of the alleged incident at 9:30 a.m. Monday. But camp representatives did not call police until 8:30 p.m. Monday, according to Gene Duvelius, Hamilton Township police chief.
"Camp Butterworth called us (about) 12 hours after they found out what happened. We're investigating now to find out what took so long," Chief Duvelius said.
The camp, a Tristate institution for girls for decades, is in southern Warren County, near the Little Miami River.
Sunday's incident involved at least 10 girls, and Chief Duvelius fears the number could climb higher. The woman, an exchange student from Tanzania identified as Namsembiaeli Nduma, was responsible for 24 girls, all 10 and 11 years old. The girls arrived July 6 and were to leave today.
The 19-year-old counselor allegedly rubbed the girls on their breasts and buttocks, authorities said.
The woman was hired by the Warren County camp through Camp Counselors USA, a California organization the Great Rivers Girl Scout Council has worked with before, said Roni Luckenbill, assistant executive director of Great Rivers.
Ms. Luckenbill said parents, authorities and the Warren County Department of Human Services were told of Sunday's incident "as soon as possible." She would not elaborate.
"I don't have the exact times. We were too busy notifying parents," she told The Enquirer.
Ms. Luckenbill said about the decision to let the woman leave: "We had to take her out of that camp. And to do that, we put her on a bus," she said.
Chief Duvelius said law enforcement agencies between Cincinnati and New York are looking for the woman - also known to children at the camp as "Rainus."
"At this point, we're trying to locate her to interview her, either through us or a satellite agency like the New York Police Department," he said.
Chief Duvelius said the woman could be charged with a misdemeanor, such as child endangerment, or a felony, including gross sexual imposition.
Rachel Hutzel, a Warren County assistant prosecutor, said the office is waiting for Hamilton Township to complete its investigation before a decision is made about indictments.
She said the counselor is being investigated, as is Great Rivers. Because camp leaders allowed the woman to board a bus headed to New York, instead of turning her over to authorities, the organization could be held criminally liable, Ms. Hutzel said.
"It's certainly a concern," she said.
A parent of one of the girls involved in the alleged incident said he is outraged - not only because of the incident, but also the way it was handled by the camp.
"Furious is not the word," he said. The Enquirer is not naming him to protect the identity of his daughter.
The girl's father said his daughter told other counselors of the incident soon after breakfast Monday, but he didn't receive a call until 7:30 p.m. Monday.
"They (Girl Scout officials) handled it completely wrong. I'll call them a liar to their face if they say differently," he said.
