Man accused of child’s sex assault near NC mall also a suspect in 1980s cases, police say
A 66-year-old man was arrested Thursday in connection with the sexual assault of a child near a Charlotte-area mall, and police say he’s a suspect in other attacks dating to the late 1980s.
The suspect, Ricky Lynn McClellan of Concord, also claims to have been affiliated with the Boy Scouts of America “for the past 40 years,” according to a Concord Police Department news release on Friday.
His claim prompted the Boy Scouts of America on Friday to say McClellan has been banned from the organization.
An anonymous tip led to the arrest Thursday, police said. The person reported “suspicious activity” between a man and a child at a dumpster near Carolina Mall in Concord, police said.
McClellan told police he “was accompanying” the child that day, according to investigators.
Police said they charged McClellan with indecent liberties with a minor. He was jailed on $75,000 bail, according to police.
McClellan is a suspect in other child sex assaults dating to the late 1980s, according to police.
A public records search shows McClellan was convicted in 1994 — 27 years ago — of six misdemeanor drug offenses in Cabarrus County and received a suspended sentence.
In a statement to the Observer, a Boy Scouts of America official said McClellan is barred from the organization. The statement did not mention McClellan’s role with the group.
“The behavior attributed to this individual is reprehensible and goes against everything for which the Boy Scouts of America stands,” Stuart Williams, scout executive/CEO of the Boy Scouts’ Central North Carolina Council, told the Observer.
“While Mr. McClellan was not registered in our programs at the time of his arrest and the charges are unrelated to Scouting, we took immediate action to ban him from any future participation in the BSA,” Williams said. “We will fully cooperate with law enforcement on their investigation and encourage anyone who knows of or suspects abuse to immediately report it to police.”
Police urge anyone with information to call them at 704-920-5000 or Cabarrus Area Crime Stoppers at 704-932-7463.
This story was originally published June 25, 2021 at 1:21 PM with the headline "Man accused of child’s sex assault near NC mall also a suspect in 1980s cases, police say."