Trucker caught with teenager in Nebraska is sentenced to prison

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — A truck driver will spend 29 years in prison for sexually assaulting a teenager.

David Platt, 58, was sentenced in federal court Tuesday for transporting a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity.

U.S. District Judge John Gerrard also ordered him to pay $29,000 in restitution.

In 2022, Platt— a registered sex offender — met a 15-year-old on the website Quora, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The teen said they wanted to run away from home, and Platt said he would take them across the country in his semitrailer.

On May 12, 2022, Platt picked up the victim in California, authorities said.

Three days later, law enforcement pulled over the semi near Lexington.

The victim reported being sexually assaulted each day of the trip.

All the while, Platt was aware of the victim’s age, investigators said.

In 2012, he was found guilty of sexual assault in Texas, where he served two years in prison.

After he is out of federal prison, Platt will be on supervised release for the rest of his life.