Officer charged in sex case with girl, 14

Jen Lawson

Friday, Jan. 14, 2005 | 10:59 a.m.

A Metro Police vice detective who had arrested a 14-year-old girl for soliciting prostitution at the Bellagio was arrested himself Thursday after he went to the girl's home, allegedly hoping for a sexual encounter.

George Preston Godfrey, 28, was taken into custody after police conducted an undercover investigation, which included equipping the girl's bedroom with hidden cameras and listening to their telephone calls, the arrest report says.

Godfrey was being held this morning in the Clark County Detention Center on charges of using technology to lure children, burglary with intent to commit a felony and attempted statutory sexual seduction. Bail was set at $40,000.

Godfrey was relieved of his duties without pay, Officer Jose Montoya, a Metro spokesman, said.

Under department policy, any officer facing criminal charges is relieved of duties without pay while investigators look into the allegations. Depending on the outcome of the trial and an additional internal investigation, the officers can either be fired, placed back into active duty or be suspended, Montoya said.

After his arrest Godfrey said he was trying to mentor the girl and help her straighten out her life, but investigators said they determined otherwise.

According to the report on Godfrey's arrest, he had arrested the girl Dec. 7 and on the way to the juvenile detention center his demeanor changed.

He allegedly told her she was pretty and had a nice body, and that he had connections in the pornography industry and that when she was released she could call him.

Godfrey said he "was not really into the cop thing," the girl told detectives, and that if no other cops had been around, he wouldn't have arrested her, he would have had sex with her, the report says.

She called Godfrey after she was released from custody Dec. 23 because he was an authority figure and he had directed her to do so, police said.

Godfrey allegedly said he wanted to stop by and see her and take her out to eat if it was OK with her mother. After that, the girl's mother called police complaining that Godfrey was trying to date her daughter, and police launched an undercover investigation.

He called the girl again on Jan. 5 and told her he wanted to see her that night, the arrest report says. He said he'd stop by later if her mother was asleep.

Detectives with Metro's criminal intelligence detail went to the girl's home on Swaying Trees Drive near the Las Vegas Beltway and Flamingo Road and wired her bedroom and the living room with surveillance cameras and listening devices.

Godfrey placed several more calls to the girl that night as he was preparing to leave work and while he was driving to her house, according to the report.

During one call Godfrey reportedly said he wanted to come over but was very concerned about the girl's mother being home. The girl assured him it wouldn't be a problem, police said.

"There was a noticeable change in the tone of Detective Godfrey's voice and he asked (her) what she was wearing," the report says. "In a very seductive voice Detective Godfrey then asked (the girl) if he came to see her, was she 'going to make it worth his time.' "

Godfrey got to the girl's house shortly after 1 a.m. Jan. 6, his arrival monitored by police conducting undercover surveillance outside her house.

When he stepped inside her house he hugged her, then they walked to her bedroom and closed the door, police said. The girl sat on her bed and Godfrey lounged next to her, resting on his elbow.

Conversation turned to Godfrey's alleged connections at Playboy and Maxim magazines, the report says, and he told her they should get together another time when her mother isn't home.

Godfrey told the girl that "if he came back again 'you're going to get me in trouble,' alluding to a sexual encounter," according to the report. At one point he allegedly stood with his hand on his belt buckle and asked her what she wanted to do.

He asked the girl to give him a hug, and "detectives monitoring the audio and video all feel Godfrey's body language and tone of voice are very provocative and leading."

A sergeant gave the girl a pre-arranged signal and she left the room. After that detectives went into her bedroom and detained Godfrey.

Later, in an interview with detectives, Godfrey allegedly made a number of contradicting statements about why he was at the girl's home.

He said he was there to set her on the right path, and then said he wasn't there in an official capacity but as a friend, the arrest report says.

Flirting with her "was part of his plan to help (her) to a better life," he told investigators.

But, the report notes, investigators believed that if it had been his goal to help the girl, he would have asked her "Are you staying out of trouble? Are you enrolled in school?" rather than questions about what she was wearing. He wouldn't have been making statements about his alleged pornography contacts and worrying about her mother catching them, the report says.

The girl's mother probably would have welcomed a visit by Godfrey to her daughter if it had been at an appropriate time and he had pure intentions, police said.

Godfrey was hired by Metro in March 2000. At the time of his arrest he was working a 90-day temporary assignment in the vice section, which he began in November. His permanent assignment is the South Central Area Command.

He was under the supervision of a sergeant and a training detective. The sergeant gave investigators a document showing that Godfrey underwent a four-hour training session on juvenile prostitution cases.

Godfrey's sergeant told investigators that his behavior is not consistent with Metro policy regarding suspect contact, which prohibits detectives from contacting any suspect or informant without the presence of a second detective, police said.

The policy is in place, in part, to avoid allegations of misconduct and to protect the safety of the officer and suspect, the report says. The sergeant said Godfrey's contact with a 14-year-old girl at her home, without her parents' permission and while off-duty, was a clear violation of policy.

Detectives continued their investigation and issued a warrant for Godfrey's arrest Thursday. He was taken into custody about 4 p.m.