Former Deshler man faces felony sexual assault

Local law enforcement officials arrested Davis Weideman, 21, formerly of Deshler, and charged him with three counts of felony sexual assault of a minor earlier this month. Weideman is in the Air Force and currently stationed at Tinker Air Force Base in Midwest City, Okla.

He is alleged to have had sex with a 14-year old girl on three different occasions between March 31, 2011 and Dec. 31, 2011. He was 19 and 20 years old at the time. The victim’s mother, whose name is being withheld to protect the identity of her daughter, reported the incidents.

According to the arrest affidavit, Weideman told arresting officers the contact was consensual.

In the state of Nebraska, sex with anyone under the age of 17 is illegal. Those who are 17 years old and above may give consent. There are no close-in-age exemptions or “Romeo and Juliet laws” to Nebraska’s age of consent. This means anyone who engages in sexual activity with someone under the age of consent in Nebraska is liable for prosecution, including people only a few years older than their sexual partner and even  individuals who are both under the age of consent.

Weideman is currently released on a $50,000 personal recognizance bond and scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Sept. 24 in Thayer County court.