Police: Relationships between youth, adults on rise

By Cydney Cappello

Friday, Aug. 1, 2008 | 2:19 p.m.

Metro Police today said they're seeing a growing trend of what authorities are calling statutory sexual seduction.

Detective Gabriel Lebario, of the department's Crimes Against Youth and Family Division, said such cases involve a person under age 16 in a sexual relationship with someone over the age of 18. The age of sexual consent in Nevada is 16.

Lebario said many of the relationships involve a 15-year-old girl and a man over age 21, which is a felony. Authorities said cases are especially difficult to pursue when parents permit their children to date adults.

Lebario said he blames the Internet for the growing trend.

“People have more access to one another and we have more persons that are under the age of 16 with access to the computer and MySpace and all the other different sites that they can go on where they can meet one another, and I think that’s the big issue and that’s how a lot of these relationships develop,” Lebario said. His comments came during a news conference this morning in front of the Metro Police Investigative Services Division.

Investigators said adults often use money to manipulate youth, such as giving gifts or taking teens out to dinner -- something a 15-year-old boy, for example, might not be able to afford, Lebario said.

Authorities noted several warning signs that could indicate a youth is involved in a relationship with an adult, including sneaking out of the house, not associating with normal friends and late-night phone calls.

“What I would encourage parents to do if they think their children may be involved in something like this is to contact their local police department ... and we would direct you to the proper unit and investigate it from there,” Lebario said.

He said parents can visit the Crimes Against Youth and Family Division Web site or the Rape Crisis Center for more information.