Ex-Las Vegas police Explorer convicted of sex assault of minor

A former Las Vegas police Explorer was convicted Monday of sexual assault of a minor after prosecutors said he maintained a yearslong sexual relationship with a teen, starting when she was 11.

Joshua Honea, 24, was accused in 2015 of maintaining the four-year relationship with an underage girl. The girl, now 18, recanted her statement on the witness stand.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal is not naming the girl because she was a minor when the alleged relationship took place.

On Monday, Honea stood at the front of the courtroom with his attorney and listened to 38 counts of “not guilty.” He looked to the ceiling while defense attorney Jonathan MacArthur put his arm around him. MacArthur wiped tears from his face.

It was count 39 that stopped them. One guilty verdict out of more than 50 counts, which included kidnapping.

“Was it one guilty?” MacArthur asked District Judge Kathleen Delaney after the verdict was read.

“Yes,” she replied.

Prosecutor Stacey Kollins asked that Honea be remanded to custody, but Delaney denied the motion.

“The defendant has been out of custody,” she said. “I have no reason to believe that he will not return at the time of sentencing.”

The judge asked that Honea check in with the court periodically before his sentencing on April 16. He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.

Before his arrest, Honea was in a police program that encourages a career in law enforcement and teaches young Las Vegans the basics of policing. He also volunteered with the Metropolitan Police Department’s Enterprise Area Command.

Honea’s attorneys said he met the underage girl when she was in middle school, and from there they developed a “brother and sister” relationship that fell apart after the aspiring police officer tried to intervene in her use of drugs and alcohol.

MacArthur told jurors that Honea was targeted as a whistleblower at Metro after he reported police misconduct. Subsequently, his colleagues reopened an investigation into rumors that Honea had an inappropriate relationship with the girl, he said.

The attorney went on to tell jurors that Honea and the girl had a close relationship and had talked about wanting to date when she turned 16.

MacArthur said police told the girl that Honea could get her mother in trouble with Child Protective Services, which is why she came back and reported the alleged relationship. She also was angry with Honea for betraying her trust, the defense attorney said, and sent Honea pictures of her burning photos of the pair.

Over three weeks, prosecutors presented their case: the girl’s detailed story to detectives, including identifying the mole on his genitals and the sex they had in the back seat of his car. Prosecutors also displayed pictures that showed Honea and the girl kissing and a photo album that chronicled the relationship.

The young woman testified during the trial that she made up the elaborate story because she wanted to get Honea in trouble and “the more details, the better.”

Contact Briana Erickson at berickson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5244. Follow @brianarerick on Twitter.