A former Explorer Scout claims in a lawsuit that she was "groomed and coerced" into having sex with a cop while a member of Louisville Metro Police's Youth Explorer program, according to her attorney.

The suit, filed in Jefferson Circuit Court on Tuesday by attorney David Yates, is the third civil case brought by a former Explorer Scout alleging sexual abuse by a police officer involved with the program.

The former Scout, identified only as B.L., alleges Officer Brad Schuhmann manipulated her into having sex, according to Yates. He said the relationship began when his client was under age 16.

"Like the other abusers in the Explorer program, he used his position of control and began a sexual relationship with her," he said.

Earlier coverage

►Police didn't record Scout's claim against cop now accused of abuse

►In Explorer sex abuse case, cops failed outrageously | Joseph Gerth

►No ruling on conflict of interest question in Explorer sex abuse suit

Yates, who also serves as Metro Council president, declined to provide the Courier-Journal with a copy of the suit because it is sealed, but he provided some details in an interview.

Claims made in a lawsuit represent only one side of a case.

Schuhmann has been on desk duty since May, but the police department has declined to say why. Police spokesman Dwight Mitchell said Tuesday that Schuhmann's status has not changed and he is still being paid.

The department did not reply to a request for comment from Schuhmann.

Schuhmann has been on the force since 2009 and was a former Explorer, according to court records. He also once served as an adviser in the youth program, which was offered by the police department and Boy Scouts of America for teens interested in law enforcement.

Chief Steve Conrad praised Schuhmann for his involvement in the Explorer program in a 2013 commendation letter, saying Schuhmann was a "credit to" the program.

"Your professionalism and dedication has created a positive image for the Explorer program and the Louisville Metro Police Department," Conrad said.

Schuhmann's personnel file shows several commendations. He also was involved in a deadly shooting in 2014 where he and another officer shot and killed 25-year-old Tracy L. McCraw during a robbery that prosecutors determined was justified.

B.L.'s claims follow a pair of civil lawsuits filed by two other former Scouts this year who say they were sexually abused by police officers while in the program.

In the first case, a man identified only as N.C. alleges that former Officers Kenneth Betts and Brandon Wood raped him while in the program.

The second lawsuit, which is also under seal, was brought by a former Scout identified as C.F. who alleges he was raped by Betts.

Betts and Wood also face several criminal sex abuse charges involving the Explorer program. Both have pleaded not guilty.

Betts resigned in 2014 after he was accused in an internal complaint of improper contact with a teenage girl in the Explorer program. Wood was fired in April after he and Betts were indicted.

Former Maj. Curtis Flaherty, who led the program as a lieutenant, also has been named as a defendant in N.C.'s civil suit. Flaherty, who denies any wrongdoing, retired Aug. 1. His attorney says his client's departure was not because of the Explorer lawsuit.

Mayor Greg Fischer suspended the Explorer program a day after the Courier-Journal reported N.C.'s allegations. The mayor has launched a separate internal review of the police department to determine whether “errors were made."

Reporter Phillip M. Bailey can be reached at 502-582-4475 or pbailey@courier-journal.com.