Probation officer to face sex charges

A juvenile probation officer has been ordered to stand trial on charges he had a brief sexual relationship with a then-14-year-old girl he was supervising.

Tommy Burse is scheduled to be arraigned May 25 in District Judge Donald Mosley's courtroom on six felony counts of statutory sexual seduction.

The only witness called by Deputy District Attorney Teresa Lowry for Monday's preliminary hearing was the teenager, who testified about two encounters in June 1998 with her 35-year-old probation officer.

The girl told how Burse had obtained a beeper for her and how she was twice summoned to meet him a short distance from her home.

She testified that for their trysts he took her to the Del Mar Motel, 1411 Las Vegas Blvd. South, which specializes in showing adult videos and renting rooms in three-hour blocks.

Lowry said that while the encounters were consensual, that is not a defense since Nevada law states that it is statutory sexual seduction for an adult to engage in sex with anyone between the ages of 14 and 16.

Although Burse originally was charged with four counts, Justice of the Peace Bill Jansen added two counts after hearing details of the alleged encounters.

Burse faces the possibility of five years in prison on each count.

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