Summary: Upon the arrest of a Las Vegas Fire Captain, a former EMT of the area has come forward to claim that sex is common at the fire stations.
After the recent arrest of Capt. Richard Loughry, a Las Vegas Emergency Medical Technician has come forward to the Las Vegas Review-Journal claiming that sex was common in the fire stations. The Las Vegas Fire Chief William McDonald is adamant that sexual conduct was not acceptable.
McDonald stated at a news conference, “Misconduct of any kind is not tolerated. There is a zero tolerance in Las Vegas Fire and Rescue for this kind of behavior. We all take the allegations very seriously and I promise you that each allegation we receive will be thoroughly investigated.†He has vowed to install surveillance cameras in the departments 20 fire stations and limit visitors in an effort to cut down on sexual misconduct. He mentioned an “isolated incident†from two years ago where a firefighter had sex at Station 5 and was fired for his misconduct.
Department policies obviously prohibit this kind of behavior but there has been very little done to enforce the policies, according to former EMT Mallissa Barthule. She claims in an interview with the Review-Journal to have had over 50 sexual encounters at different fire stations with at least seven firemen. These encounters occurred over several years. She now lives in Texas but worked for the department for seven years as an EMT for a private ambulance company.
Loughry is accused of having sex with a 15-year-old prostitute inside Station 47. He is facing eight felony charges. Authorities allege that Loughry paid the girl $300 for the encounter at his station. Gino Miller is accused of forcing the girl into prostitution right before her encounter with Loughry at the fire station. Miller is being held without bail in federal custody. He is accused of sex trafficking of minors, coercion, and enticement.
Loughry indicated in an interview with a detective to bringing “females to the fire station where he works to have sex on a few occasions.†A prosecutor on the case used his “surreptitious activities†to attack Loughry’s character. His attorney Craig Hendricks appeared in court before Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Cynthia Cruz on his behalf. Cruz reminded Hendricks that while on house arrest, Loughry is prohibited from using the internet. Hendricks indicated that his client has surrendered his smartphone and turned off the internet in his home.
Barthule came forward because she feels that Loughry is being blamed for the actions of many. She said, “You can’t throw one person to the wolves and let everyone else watch. They know this is going on. They should treat the problem equally and fairly.†She has text messages, Facebook messages, and journal entries to back up her claims. She was eventually fired from her job for an addiction to pain meds.
McDonald has noted of her claims that, “If we find that there’s something to investigate there, we will do a full investigation by the department. If we were to find there was validity to it, then we would hold those folks very accountable.â€
Do you think there is anything wrong with adults having sex with other consenting adults at work if there are no policies prohibiting it? Tell us in the comments below.
To learn more about other firefighters in the news, read these articles:
- Four Firefighters Taken Hostage by a Man Demanding His Cable be Turned Back On
- Clearwater Firefighter Resigns for Having Sex on Duty
- Michigan Firefighter Helping a Fundraiser Purposely Hit by Truck
- Ambushed By Ex-Conman Two Firefighters Lose Their Lives
Photo: reviewjournal.com