LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — Content Warning: This article discusses allegations of sexual abuse involving children and may be difficult for some readers.

A federal lawsuit filed on behalf of 96 former juvenile detainees alleges children were sexually abused inside Nevada’s juvenile justice system over nearly two decades, including at facilities in Clark County.

The 209-page lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court and obtained by News 3, names Clark County, the State of Nevada and numerous current officials as defendants. It alleges staff members sexually abused children in their custody while systemic failures allowed the abuse to continue.

According to the complaint, the allegations span from 2004 through 2022 and involve multiple juvenile facilities across the state, including the Clark County Juvenile Detention Center, Summit View Youth Center, Nevada Youth Training Center, Caliente Youth Center and China Spring Youth Camp.

In a statement to News 3, plaintiffs’ attorney Tim O’Reilly said the lawsuit is ultimately about children who were failed by the very institutions responsible for protecting them.

“This case is about children who were placed in custody and left vulnerable to the very people and institutions responsible for protecting them,” O’Reilly said. “As detailed in the complaint, they were sexually abused, exploited and silenced while confined in Nevada Juvenile Detention Facilities. No child should ever be harmed by adults entrusted with their safety. Our clients are bravely coming forward to seek accountability and justice for abuse that never should have happened. Their courage sends a powerful message to others who have not yet been able to come forward: they are not alone.”

The lawsuit alleges some children were threatened with longer stays in custody, solitary confinement or the loss of privileges if they reported the abuse.

Liz Ortenburger, CEO of SafeNest, said those allegations reflect the unique power imbalance that can exist when adults have authority over children in custody.

“Whether or not you have the power, that youth absolutely believes you have that power to make that happen,” Ortenburger said. “When we create systems of power and control in which vulnerable youth are in a space where they can be assaulted, we have got to make sure we’ve got incredible checks and balances so that those youth are safe.”

One of those safeguards is the federal Prison Rape Elimination Act, commonly known as PREA, which establishes standards intended to prevent, detect and respond to sexual abuse inside correctional facilities.

Signs of Hope is the only organization in Nevada with a full-time PREA advocate who works directly with people reporting sexual abuse while in custody.

“They are able to reach out to their PREA advocate and report what has happened to them and receive resources and support,” Signs of Hope CEO Kim Small said. “She’s able to advocate on their behalf and help with the investigation.”

Small said it’s important for the public to understand that being in custody does not strip someone of their rights.

“There are rights. Inmates have rights, and sexual assault is not part of their healing journey,” Small said.

Ortenburger added that reports involving incarcerated youth deserve to be taken seriously.

“I think there’s a real sort of desire to not want to believe youth, particularly incarcerated youth,” Ortenburger said. “It’s important to believe youth. That does not mean we don’t verify — trust but verify.”

The lawsuit seeks damages, along with future medical and mental health treatment for the plaintiffs. The plaintiffs are also requesting a jury trial, though it could take years before the case reaches trial.

News 3 reached out to Clark County and the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services for comment but had not received a response before deadline.

Resources for survivors

If you or someone you know has experienced sexual abuse or domestic violence, confidential help is available 24 hours a day.

SafeNest

• Call or text: 702-646-4981
• Online chat and additional resources: SafeNest.org

Signs of Hope

• 24-hour hotline: 702-366-1640
• Both organizations provide confidential support, advocacy and referrals for survivors throughout Southern Nevada.

NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – Some call the multi-million-dollar El Camino Real Heritage Center an architectural masterpiece. Others, however, call it one of New Mexico’s most expensive blunders. In 2021, former Speaker of the House Don Tripp weighed in on the project, “As far as benefit, it really didn’t have any benefit to anybody.”

Taxpayers paid more than $4,000,000 to build it, a few million dollars more to operate it and, now, a half million to tear it down.

The El Camino Real Heritage Center is a history museum dedicated to the historic ‘Royal Road of the Interior’. Established by Spanish conquistadores in 1598, the historic byway extended from Mexico City to north of Santa Fe. Armed with $4,000,000 from the state legislature and the Bureau of Land Management, consultants were hired to find the best place to build the new museum. After studying various locations, they chose a remote spot on the prairie 37 miles south of Socorro.

The experts said, ‘build halfway between Socorro and Truth or Consequences,’ and the museum will draw 100,000 visitors a year, bring in $10,000,000 to the region, and create 174 new jobs. Back in 2004, no one raised a red flag about putting a tourist attraction in an out-of-the-way location. It was only after construction was complete that officials learned the so-called experts were dead wrong. The project was doomed to fail before it even opened its doors. “Who the heck thought it was a good idea to build it where they built it?” State Rep. Gail Armstrong told KRQE News 13 last year.

The state’s newest museum opened in 2005. An estimated crowd of 2000 turned out for the dedication ceremony. Socorro Mayor Ravi Bhasker was there. “We had Bill Richardson out there cutting the ribbon, and then we had the Vice President of Spain come down here with his beautiful wife, and we had dignitaries everywhere. It was exciting,” Mayor Bhasker said.

But the excitement was short-lived. Where the historic El Camino Real trail was in use for three centuries, the museum with its namesake lasted just eleven years. The remote location meant few visitors, meager revenue, inadequate staffing, expensive utilities, and maintenance.

In 2016, New Mexico’s Cultural Affairs Department pulled the plug on the El Camino Real Heritage Center, padlocked the doors, and permanently closed the museum. The parking lot is deserted, tourists are gone, artifacts are packed away, display cases vacant, exhibits dismantled, interpretive panels removed, and the gift shop is bare. All there is to show for millions of tax dollars is an abandoned building on the prairie.

“Eleven years is disgraceful. There was a real failure in this particular project,” the late State Senator John Arthur Smith said in a 2021 interview. We asked the retired Senate Finance Committee Chair, when the history of this project is written, what will it say? “They’re going to shake their head and (use this as) another example of government waste,” the retired Senator Smith said in 2021.

So what do you do with a $4,000,000 deserted building in the middle of nowhere?  Time and vandals have taken a toll. The museum was closed and boarded up in 2016, and then state officials abandoned the site. Because little effort was made to secure the empty building, it is no longer habitable. Copper wiring has been stolen. There is significant structural damage, mold, a rodent infestation, and no electricity or lights. Most of the HVAC, electrical, plumbing, water, and septic systems are either obsolete or inoperable.

Faced with a whopping $3.5 million repair bill, the Museum of New Mexico’s Board of Regents made the difficult decision last year to demolish the building. Board of Regent’s President, Dr. George Goldstein, calls the building, “A loss, a huge loss.”

“What a complete waste of taxpayer dollars,” says State Rep. Gail Armstrong who’s District 49 includes the museum site.  And what did taxpayers get for their $4,000,000 investment? “Nothing. It just cost them a ton of money. Nothing,” Representative Armstrong said.

This week, a state-hired demolition crew began the task of tearing down the museum complex. Tons of concrete, steel, and glass will be hauled away. The parking lot and nearby caretaker’s house will also be ripped out. The prairie will be graded, reseeded with native plants, and returned to the Bureau of Land Management in restored, pristine condition. The demolition project is expected to take four months.

The El Camino Real museum was planned and built during the Governor Bill Richardson administration. All of the State Legislators involved in the funding of the museum project have since left government service.

Soon, the El Camino Real International Heritage Center will be just a bitter memory. All clues to the existence of a pricey government blunder will have been erased. Pay a visit to the remote spot south of Socorro later this fall, and all you will find will be desert creosote, prairie dogs, and a few rattlesnakes.

The Oregon Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at July 14, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Mega Millions numbers from July 14 drawing

02-04-10-48-56, Mega Ball: 22

Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 4 numbers from July 14 drawing

1PM: 6-3-6-3

4PM: 7-0-0-9

7PM: 2-0-6-0

10PM: 2-5-1-5

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

When are the Oregon Lottery drawings held?

• Powerball: 7:59 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
• Mega Millions: 7:59 p.m. on Tuesday and Friday.
• Pick 4: 1 p.m., 4 p.m., 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. daily.
• Win for Life: 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
• Megabucks: 7:29 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by an Oregon editor. You can send feedback using this form.