Lancaster County sheriff: Man arrested in sexual assault of developmentally disabled teen

Suspect, a convicted felon, was previously arrested on suspicion of indecency with a child, though charge was dropped

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – The Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office arrested a man late Tuesday night who authorities say was sexually assaulting a developmentally disabled teen for years.

Deputies were called to a Lincoln school on Tuesday after a student reported that they were sexually assaulted, Lancaster County Sheriff Terry Wagner says.

The teenager was later interviewed by the Child Advocacy Center and provided officials with descriptions of where the assault occurred, reporting that assaults had taken place for three to four years, Wagner said.

The Sheriff’s Office then drafted a search warrant, which was served at the 53-year-old suspect’s home around 10 p.m.

Deputies found two firearms, but the suspect, a convicted felon, wasn’t home.

During a traffic stop, the Sheriff’s Office used a tactical response unit to arrest the suspect around 11:45 p.m.

The man was arrested on suspicion of first-degree sexual assault, strangulation, possession of a firearm by a felon, and abuse of a vulnerable adult.

He was previously arrested in Amarillo, Texas, in 2005 on suspicion of indecency with a child: sexual contact. The charges were later dropped, Wagner said.