Arraignment Postponed for Ex-Cub Scout Leader Michael Vawter

Vawter said he plans to enter a plea of not guilty in June.

WALNUT CREEK – A judge today postponed until June the arraignment of a former Danville Cub Scout leader accused of downloading child pornography videos onto his computer.

Michael Vawter, 40, appeared for a voluntary hearing today at the Contra Costa County Superior Court in Walnut Creek, where a judge ordered him back at 8:30 a.m. on June 17 to set a date for a preliminary hearing.

Vawter turned himself in after the Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office filed felony charges against him last week. He was initially arrested in March, but was released on bail as law enforcement officials completed their investigation.

Vawter was dressed in a suit today and sat alone, without friends or family in the room, as he waited for his case to be called. He sat with his hands in his lap, frowned and looked at the ground while he waited for his turn before the judge. His appearance was scheduled for 1:30 p.m. today, and started shortly after that.

Vawter was accompanied today by a private attorney. He had been arrested and booked into County Jail in Martinez on March 17, and was released on $20,000 bail shortly after that. The judge said today that Vawter’s prior payment was sufficient to maintain his freedom.

Deputy District Attorney Jon Yamaguchi filed charges last week, but no prosecutor has been assigned to the case.

Vawter was an executive vice president for CCI Financial & Insurance Services in San Ramon and a den leader for Cub Scouts Pack 802 for two years before a tipster gave information to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that alerted Danville cops of Vawter’s alleged possession of child porn.

(A spokesman for CCI said on May 12 that Vawter no longer was employed there, but did not elaborate.)

Police served a search warrant at Vawter’s workplace, where investigators said they found 187 Internet video downloads of children forced into sexual acts. The Scouts revoked his membership after Vawter’s arrest.