BURBANK (CBS/AP) — A former executive director of the Republican Party of Los Angeles County (RPLAC) was arrested Friday for allegedly sending sexually explicit messages to a 16-year-old girl.
Scott Hounsell, 30, was booked on two misdemeanor counts of sending harmful matter to a child, Los Angeles police Lt. Andrea Grossman said. The girl told detectives Hounsell sent her sexually explicit chat messages on a social media website. Hounsell is being held on $40,000 bail.
According to his LinkedIn page, Hounsell has been a field representative and internship coordinator for California state Assemblyman Cameron Smyth.
Jonathan Wilcox, a spokesman for the county’s official Republican organization, said Hounsell resigned June 15.
“Scott Hounsell is a former employee of RPLAC who resigned on June 15th. Until we were contacted by the LAPD today, we had absolutely no knowledge of any information relating to this case. We take this issue very seriously and will fully cooperate with law enforcement any way we can,” he said.
The arrest was made by the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force — one of 61 local and federal task forces nationwide that focuses on online child victimization.
Hounsell’s Granada Hills neighbors were stunned about the allegations, saying he and his wife were friendly.
“He’s very nice. He’s very friendly,” said Celia Satamian. “He has two kids, he talks to all his neighbors.”
Calls to Hounsell and his family were not immediately returned.
(TM and © Copyright 2013 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
