Married Las Vegas fireman, 48, who paid 15-year-old girl $300 to have sex with him avoids jail time for 'spotless record'
A married ex-Las Vegas fire captain who paid a teenage girl $300 to have sex with him at a fire station has avoided prison time.
Richard Loughry, 48, was ordered to serve up to five years' probation and register as a sex offender in connection to the incident, according to the Daily Mail.
Court documents state that, in February 2017, Loughry contacted a 15-year-old girl through an advertisement on Craigslist and twice asked her if she was comfortable going to his fire station.
Loughry then told the girl, who had described herself as 22 in the ad, to be quiet and led her to the captain's dorm room at Station 47, where they proceeded to have sex.
She later told police that she stayed at the station for around 45 minutes and that she heard voices coming from another room, but could not tell if they were people in the station or from a television.
Loughry resigned from the fire department, where he had served 20 years, after his arrest, and was initially facing three counts of lewdness with a child under 16, two counts of child abuse, neglect, or endangerment, and one count of soliciting prostitution of a minor.
However, this past March, he pleaded guilty to reduced charges of attempted statutory sexual seduction and soliciting prostitution. He entered a type of guilty plea that required him to admit only that prosecutors had enough evidence to prove the case to a jury.
During his sentencing hearing, he told Senior District Judge James Bixler that he had attended counseling following his arrest and described the crime as "the most stupid devastating decision I've ever taken."
He said he had, until then, lived up to a "code of dignity" as a firefighter, adding that there is "no solace and honor and no encouragement in my accomplishments" and that he lives in "a state of regret and remorse every single day."
As dozens of family members and firefighters seated behind him in support watched on, Bixler noted that the 48-year-old had received 90 letters in support, as well as his "spotless record" prior to this particular incident before sentencing him to probation.
"I feel so sorry for you," he told Loughry. "You had done nothing but serve our community for your entire career. And to have this happen to you is really and truly a tragedy."
Loughry's defense attorney, Craig Hendricks, thanked the judge for his leniency. "We are extremely grateful to judge Bixler for allowing him the opportunity of completing probation," he said. "It’s obvious the court took into consideration (Loughry’s) perfect record and contribution to the community prior to this incident."
Since leaving the department, Loughry has reportedly obtained a commercial driver's license and started working in the trucking industry.