BEN NEARY
Associate Press Writer

CHEYENNE, Wyo. - A former Campbell County fire chief will plead guilty later this month to state felony charges that he sexually abused children, lawyers in the case said Tuesday.

Gary Scott, 54, already is serving a 24-year federal sentence on 10 felony convictions of taking children across state lines for sexual abuse. Some of the victims had enrolled in a fire cadet program that Scott founded.

Scott had pleaded not guilty last year to 14 similar state charges.

Prosecutor Bill Edelman of the Campbell County Attorney's Office said Scott is scheduled to enter a change of plea to the state charges on Sept. 29 before District Judge John Brooks in Douglas. Scott had been scheduled to go to trial on the 14 state felony charges before Brooks on Sept. 28, Edelman said.

Some of the victims Scott was convicted of abusing in federal court are also named as victims in the state court charges, Edelman said. He said some of those named as victims in state court also had participated in the fire cadet program.

Campbell County hired Scott as fire chief in 1991. Edelman said all the district court judges in Campbell County recused themselves from presiding over the state case because they either knew Scott or his alleged victims.

Edelman said he couldn't comment on what sentence his office would seek for Scott. He said the plea hearing would resolve all outstanding charges against him.

U.S. District Judge Clarence Brimmer sentenced Scott on the federal charges in June 2008.

Scott told Brimmer at his sentencing that he was ashamed of his actions, and ashamed to have violated the trust of people who were his friends.

"I led them into believing that some of those actions were normal, youthful experiences," Scott said of his victims. "Deep down, I knew my actions were wrong."

Edelman said Scott has been removed from federal custody and held in county jails in Wyoming and Nebraska to answer the state charges.

Defense lawyer Michael Shoumaker of Gillette said Tuesday that Scott will plead guilty to at least some of the 14 state charges against him. Shoumaker said it's not resolved yet whether some of the charges will be dismissed in exchange for the guilty pleas.

Shoumaker said he will argue at sentencing that Scott's state court sentence should run concurrently with his federal sentence. He said Scott's life expectancy doesn't extend much beyond his federal court sentence.

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