Former Klan boss faces sex charges

January 12, 2007|by KAREN HANNA

SHARPSBURG - The former leader of the World Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, who disbanded his group in November to join the National Socialist Movement, is accused of forcing a child to perform oral sex on him.

Gordon Creal Young, 40, of 2210 Back Road in Sharpsburg, was arrested Wednesday on seven criminal counts, including two counts each of second-degree assault and sex abuse of a minor, Washington County Sheriff's Department Investigator Tara Bender said.

A deputy said Young was being held Thursday at Washington County Detention Center on $350,000 bond.

A Washington County District Court charging document alleges that Young forced a child to perform oral sex on him at his home during two separate incidents that happened about Oct. 22 and 25.

On other occasions, Young allegedly told the girl he wanted to "strip" her into the Klan. Young told the girl that Klan members strip women of their clothing and search their bodies for imperfections when they join the group.

According to the charging document, the girl told a pastor that Young touched her inappropriately.

Young is charged with two counts each of second-degree sex offense, second-degree assault and sex abuse of a minor, and one count of causing another person to ingest bodily fluid, court records show.

Young refused to consent to an interview with police, the charging document says.

Young announced in November that he was breaking up the World Knights to become state leader of the National Socialist Movement.

"I'm not going to go into why I'm disbanding because I don't want that ripped and tore up and twisted, because I know how the media is," Young told The Herald-Mail at the time.

Jeff Schoep, the leader of the National Socialist Movement, which is based in Minneapolis, refused during a short telephone conversation to elaborate about the organization's current relationship with Young.

"Gordon Young is not currently active with the National Socialist Movement," Schoep wrote in an e-mail just before the phone call Thursday.

In the e-mail, Schoep said the movement is not open to convicted sex offenders, but he did not know the exact details of Young's situation.

"Gordon Young does not strike me as someone who would engage in any sort of sex offense," Schoep wrote.

|

|

|