Sexual assault suspect was contractor at Las Vegas college

A man accused of coercing a prostitute into having sex while he posed as an undercover detective was a contracted technical support specialist at the College of Southern Nevada.

Tommy Lee Provost, 34, was arrested on charges of sexual assault and impersonating a public officer in connection with an Oct. 21 assault — a case with similarities to an ongoing investigation by the Metropolitan Police Department’s sex crimes unit.

Provost was not a CSN employee but was employed by Ellucian, a company the college contracts for technology services, according to college spokesman Richard Lake. He was stationed at CSN’s Charleston campus.

On Friday, Provost’s employee page described him as a technology services specialist. The page has since been taken down.

In a statement Wednesday, the college said, “CSN takes the safety and security of its faculty, staff, students and visitors extremely seriously. We were disturbed to hear of the arrest of Tommy Lee Provost and have taken immediate action to ban him from campus. If Mr. Provost attempts to return to any CSN property and violate his trespass order he will be subject to arrest.”

According to his arrest report, Provost matches the description of a suspect wanted in a series of sexual assaults against prostitutes dating back to at least February. During those attacks, the suspect, posing as an undercover detective, threatened to arrest his victims if they refused to have sex with him.

Provost’s vehicle, a Dodge Charger, also matches the description of the car involved in the assaults, the report said.

In August, Metro arrested a different 34-year-old man, Jesus Carvajal, in connection with the attacks. Metro has not responded to a request for comment, but Las Vegas Justice Court records show that all charges against Carvajal were dismissed the same day Provost was arrested, Oct. 22.

During the assaults detailed in Carvajal’s arrest report, the man posing as a police officer had introduced himself to his victims as Lee — Provost’s middle name — more than once.

On Oct. 21, a prostitute told police she thought she had been contacted by one of her regular clients when Provost had texted her, offering to pick her up at a 7-Eleven near downtown Las Vegas, according to his arrest report. He had found her phone number on a website often used by prostitutes seeking clients.

When he picked her up, the woman did not initially recognize Provost. But after hearing him speak, she told detectives, she recognized him as the man who had sexually assaulted her twice in the past five years, the report said.

During both assaults, Provost identified himself as an undercover officer, threatening to arrest her if she refused to have sex with him, the report said.

Provost remained held without bail Wednesday at the Clark County Detetention Center. Court records show that the district attorney’s office declined to prosecute Provost on the impersonation charge.

Contact Rio Lacanlale at rlacanlale@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0381. Follow @riolacanlale on Twitter.