Firehouse loses its ‘Safe Place’ designation after captain’s arrest
As a child sex trafficking case against a Las Vegas fire captain presses on through the courts, the station where the firefighter was housed will no longer be considered as a place to turn to for teens in crisis.
Las Vegas Fire Station 47 is under suspension until further notice as a Safe Place, according to the Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth.
Arash Ghafoori, a spokesman for the organization, said the suspension stems from an investigation focusing on Las Vegas Fire and Rescue Capt. Richard Loughry.
Loughry was arrested on April 17 in connection with a child sex trafficking case stemming from the alleged prostitution of a 15-year-old girl. In an arrest report, police stated Loughry acknowledged bringing females he met online to the fire station. He denied knowing one of the females he brought was a juvenile.
Blake Apgar, Las Vegas Review-Journal:
“We don’t want any youth traffic there whatsoever,” said Arash Ghafoori, executive director of the Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth, which runs the Safe Place program locally.
Station 47 was the only fire station to have the designation revoked. David Riggleman, communications director for the city of Las Vegas, said the station will not be listed as a safe place for the duration of the investigation.
Loughry told police the girl he allegedly paid for sex was advertised online as a 22-year-old, and that he did not know she was underage.
