Man pleads no contest to UNL assault after hate crime enhancement is dropped

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — A man accused of a hate crime at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln pleaded no contest Wednesday to a lesser charge.

Cale Wacker, 22, of Norfolk was found guilty of assault causing bodily injury, a misdemeanor.

Under the plea deal, prosecutors removed the hate crime enhancement, which would have made the charge a felony.

SEE ALSO: Norfolk man arrested in hate crime assault on UNL’s campus

Early in the morning of March 30, Wacker approached a group of people on the sidewalk outside of Jorgensen Hall at UNL’s downtown campus.

Police said he asked if the victim was gay, then lifted him up and slammed him to the ground.

Wacker then used a homophobic slur, according to an arrest affidavit.

He is set to be sentenced on Aug. 29.

SEE ALSO: UNL Police investigating LGBTQA+ hate crime on campus