Daniel P. Finney,

dafinney@dmreg.com

Federal investigators plan to be in Iowa today to sort out the truth about an allegation that a federal agent held two Boy Scouts at gunpoint at a border checkpoint earlier this month.

A Grimes Scout leader says the incident happened when a group of 18 central Iowa Boy Scouts and four adults were entering Alaska from Canada on July 7.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials say they have video evidence that no agent ever drew or handled a weapon during the encounter.

Investigators from the agency and from the U.S. Office of the Inspector General, which investigates complaints against federal agencies, plan to meet with the Mid-Iowa Council of the Boy Scouts of America in Des Moines today.

Jim Fox, the Scout leader who took the boys from Iowa through the Canadian Yukon to Alaska and back, said federal authorities are lying about video evidence.

“Do I believe them? Um, let me think. … No, I don’t believe them,” said Fox, who personally did not see the gun trained on his Scouts. “I have two 15-year-old Scouts who looked me straight in the eye and said the Border Patrol pointed a gun at their heads. Why would they lie about that?”

The incident began about 8:50 p.m. July 7. Fox and his group — packed into four passenger vans — were crossing over from Canada at Alcan, a port of entry into Alaska.

One Scout took a photograph at the port with a mobile phone. Border Patrol agents warned the Scout that taking photographs at the port could compromise national security and asked to review the pictures on the phone and delete them.

At some point during the inquiry, one of the Scouts climbed atop one of the vans to retrieve his baggage. That’s when Fox said a Border Patrol agent drew his weapon.

“Those kids were scared to death,” Fox said. “The whole incident was traumatic for everyone involved.”

Customs officials released a public statement that reads, in part: “Video footage indicates that at no time did any officer remove or handle a weapon.”

A spokesman for customs officials said the agency could not release the video footage because it was now part of an investigation by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Office of the Inspector General.

Fox declined to identify the Scouts who said they were held at gunpoint by the federal agent and further advised his Scouts not to meet with investigators when they are in Des Moines today.

“These boys have been through enough,” Fox said. “If they want to know what happened, they can ask me.”

Bob Hopper, who leads the Mid-Iowa Council, said he hopes the meeting with federal officials sorts out the facts.

“Jim is adamant about his statement,” Hopper said. “Taken at face value, it’s a serious allegation. But the other side has also been very firm. I hope we get to see the video and we can bring this to a close.”