LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A sexual assault survivor suspects his younger brother may be his son and wants a judge to order a test to determine paternity.

“I’m speaking out because there are people suffering in silence right now and if I was going to suffer to the extent that you’re aware of, I didn’t want to do it silently anymore,” Logan Gifford, 26, said.

In 2015, Logan Gifford, who was 16 at the time, came forward to report sexual assault allegations involving his mother, Doreene Gifford, records said. Nearly half of all men will report experiencing some form of sexual harassment or sexual assault in their lifetimes, according to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center.

Logan Gifford, who successfully helped pass a ballot question requiring voter ID last November, said his life is full of other people’s consequences.

“There’s a possibility that my brother could be my son,” he said. “I’m still directly involved in the mess that has left to me.”

Logan Gifford initially told police and later testified that his mother, Doreene Gifford, began sexually assaulting him when he was 10. Prosecutors alleged Doreene Gifford sexually assaulted her son for several years, later charging her with sexual assault with a minor and incest.

Doreene Gifford maintained her innocence and took an Alford plea on lesser charges including attempted sex assault. An Alford plea, essentially a plea of no contest, means a defendant does not admit guilt, but believes prosecutors have enough evidence to convince a jury to convict.

In late 2015, a Clark County judge sentenced Doreene Gifford to 8-20 years in prison, records said. The judge also ordered Doreene Gifford to register as a sex offender. The Nevada Parole Board granted Doreene Gifford parole last July, but records show she was in custody as of Wednesday.

“Sending her to prison was halfway vindicating because I thought the largest problem of my life was originally dealt with,” Logan Gifford said, adding he was then left with helping raise his younger siblings, including one brother with cognitive difficulties born around the time of the reported sexual assaults.

“He deserves to have a quiet and peaceful life, and like I said, he’s here now. He didn’t ask for any of this,” Logan Gifford said.

Logan Gifford, who was caring for that sibling, has since filed a paternity case, asking a judge to order an advanced test to determine who his brother’s father is.

“And if it comes back negative, I’m still filing for custody because it doesn’t change the obligation that I have to him now,” Logan Gifford said.

In the years since his mother’s incarceration, Logan Gifford has worked on political campaigns, got married and has had children.

Getting there was not easy, he said.

“I really wound up having to make a lot of critical decisions at a very early age because I was looking at the impact that it would have had on my siblings,” he said. “And it’s ugly and visceral but it doesn’t change the fact that it needed to be done.”

Doreene Gifford remained in custody as of Wednesday though it’s unclear why as the parole board granted her parole last year. An attempt to contact her was unsuccessful.

Before her sentencing in 2015, her attorney maintained his client’s innocence and said Logan Gifford, a child at the time, had ample opportunity to report the allegations. As an adult, Logan Gifford said that comment shows how the system failed young men like him.

A hearing in the paternity case was scheduled for May, Logan Gifford said.

8 News Now does not identify sexual assault survivors unless they choose to publicly come forward. In that same regard, 8 News Now is not identifying Logan Gifford’s brother and the photo Logan Gifford provided is not representative of how either looks today.

Resources:

National Sexual Assault Hotline: a service of RAINN: 800-656-HOPE (4673)

Nevada Sexual Assault Support Services: 775-221-7600

National Sexual Assault Hotline: 800-656-HOPE