LAS VEGAS - Las Vegas police were investigating a report that an 11-year-old boy suspected of setting a string of fires last week was sexually assaulted over the weekend by his cellmate at the county's juvenile detention center.
County officials told the Las Vegas Sun the cellmate is a 12-year-old boy who has no history of sex offenses. The younger boy has since been moved to another area within the facility.
The 11-year-old was arrested Aug. 2 and accused of setting 10 fires in a matter of a few hours, including one fire that caused $500,000 worth of damage at a convenience store under construction.
The district attorney's office has until Wednesday to file formal arson charges against the boy. If it does not, the boy will be released before his Thursday morning arraignment.
Fire officials said last week the blazes stretched firefighters and resources to the limit. At the same time as the arson blazes, county firefighters were battling a gasoline tanker fire on U.S. 95.