LAS VEGAS (AP) — A jury in Nevada convicted a 24-year-old former Las Vegas police Explorer of one charge of child sexual assault but acquitted him of 51 other charges including kidnapping in a trial about his relationship with a girl who was under 16.
Joshua Ray Honea could face life in prison on the felony conviction, but the L as Vegas Review-Journal reports that a Clark County District Court judge said Monday he can remain free on $250,000 bail pending sentencing April 16.
Before his arrest in 2015, Honea was in a police program that encourages a career in law enforcement and volunteered at a Las Vegas police substation.
The girl, now 18, recanted during trial her detailed earlier accounts of the relationship.
Defense attorney Jonathan MacArthur says an investigation that revealed the relationship came after Honea became a whistleblower reporting police misconduct.
