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Thursday, March 28, 2024 | Back issues
Courthouse News Service Courthouse News Service

Mom Sues Hotel Over Daughter’s Sex Assault

NORFOLK (CN) — A Virginia woman claims in court that the residency hotel she lived in hired a convicted sex offender as a security guard and he later sexually assaulted her daughter.

In a complaint filed in the Newport News Circuit Court, Leslie Halford says she and her daughter lived at Intown Suites from June 2015 to June 2016.

She claims that during a three month period beginning in September 2014, security guard Rodney Vaughn repeatedly molested her daughter.

Halford says Vaughn used his position as an authority figure to coerce and manipulate her daughter, conditioning her to comply with his wishes.

She goes on to claim that her daughter wasn't the security guard's only target, and that he also tried to

molest and sexually assault other minors at Intown Suites.

Kevin Sharp, Halford's attorney, said Vaughn has a history of predatory behavior.

"There was a similar incident in 2001 with a 15-year-old girl, and he was 35-years-old," Sharp said. "He was convicted of delinquency of a minor and was attempting to appeal it."

The complaint says Vaughn was hired as a security guard despite that fact his criminal history is easily accessible, and would have been seen by anyone who had troubled to look into his past.

As it is, "He was terminated from Intown, and is facing criminal charges," Sharp said. "The case is currently in Circuit Court, but nothing has been finalized yet."

Vaughan was charged in December 2015 with three counts of carnal knowledge of a child between 13 and 14 years old, and taking indecent liberties with a child under the age of 15, according to the Newport News police.

Representatives for Intown Suites could not immediately be reached for comment.

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