York County reports increase in child victims, asks for more volunteer advocates

YORK, Neb. (KLKN) – Recent findings by the York County attorney show an increase in minor victims.

This comes from nearly 50 abuse cases filed in 2024.

York County Attorney Chris Johnson told Channel 8 that this marks a major change.

“I don’t know what it’s attributed to,” he said. “We’ve seen a drastic rise since COVID-19 in 2020 and 2021. At some point, blaming it on the pandemic isn’t the right thing to do anymore. Whether it’s the same amount or people are reporting it more often, I would love to know the answer because then maybe we can get to the root cause.”

In 2023, 70% of juveniles in the system were offenders, with only 30% being victims.

But now, more than 66% of juveniles in the court system are victims.

With more juveniles in crisis, the demand for foster parents and court-appointed special advocates, or CASAs, is growing.

Johnson said children need someone to advocate for them.

“Ultimately, they are the steadiest influence that these kids can have,” he said. “And anytime that you can give a child a steady influence, it improves their chances of success in the future.”

Because not many people are aware of this issue, York County is presenting multiple studies to the public.

Johnson said this is personal for him, so he will do anything to help those in need.

“I’m a father of four myself. If I could do nothing except for juvenile law all day every day, I would,” he said. “These kids are our future, and unless we start acting like it, I don’t know what that says for the future.”

CASA and the York County Attorney’s Office are encouraging anyone who wants to get involved to come forward.