Man Pleads No Contest to Sexual Abuse of 6 Boys
A 54-year-old Van Nuys man who prosecutors said used his position as a youth volunteer to molest young boys pleaded no contest Tuesday to sexually abusing six youths. Landreth Harrison pleaded no contest--the legal equivalent of a guilty plea--in Van Nuys Superior Court to 10 sex-related charges, for which he could be sentenced to 24 years in prison.
At a preliminary hearing in Van Nuys Municipal Court in July, six boys testified that during the previous two years Harrison had repeatedly molested or sodomized them at his mobile home or on outings.
They said they met Harrison through two organizations for which he volunteered--the Boy Scouts and the Boys and Girls Club of the San Fernando Valley in Pacoima. Sentencing is set for Nov. 20.
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