A veteran King County sheriff's deputy has been placed on administrative leave after his work with a drop-in center for women and girls involved in the sex trade in Seattle became the subject of an internal investigation, says the Seattle Times. The deputy, Andy Conner, is the idea man behind The Genesis Project, a nonprofit drop-in shelter that opened in 2011 to provide a safe haven for women involved in the sex trade. Conner and sheriff's Detectives Brian Taylor and Joel Banks pooled their money and raised funds to launch the center to offer girls and women a way out of prostitution. The Seattle Times profiled The Genesis Project and the three men last year, a story featured in Crime & Justice News. The investigation is apparently focused on the finances of The Genesis Project. Several longtime staff and board members have left the center in recent months. It's unclear whether The Genesis Project remains in operation.