GARDEN COUNTY, Neb. (KNOP) – The Nebraska State Patrol arrested a Garden County sheriff’s deputy on Friday on suspicion of sexual assault and child abuse.
NSP began investigating the case in July at the request of the Attorney General’s Office.
Following an investigation, NSP investigators arrested 39-year-old Bruce Neal of Oshkosh for one count of first-degree sexual assault and two counts of child abuse.
According to court documents, an 18-year-old girl reported that she had been sexually assaulted by Neal. The teenager said she had met with Neal, who was also her pastor and youth group coordinator.
On May 31, she met with Neal inside the church. Neal then assaulted her, according to a search warrant.
The warrant shows that Neal continued to text the 18-year-old and frequently drove past the her place of employment.
Court documents said that deputies of Garden County had also received allegations of probable grooming in which Neal had sent inappropriate comments to another teenager.
Local authorities then called the Nebraska State Patrol in order to take over the case, with the Attorney General’s Office assisting.
On July 5, Neal contacted law enforcement, and denied anything between the 18-year-old and himself.
On July 9, investigators spoke with a 17-year-old girl who said she had received multiple text messages from Neal. The mother of the teenager said while the messages were benign, she thought it was odd for him to send to her.
The 17-year-old said they had gone to Oshkosh Wesleyan Church to help Neal move some items and do some work in April. When the teenager entered the church, Neal locked the door behind them, prosecutors allege. Neal then made inappropriate comments on the 17-year-old’s attire, body and asked questions about her dating life, authorities wrote.
Neal was arrested on Friday at his home and has been lodged at the Cheyenne County Jail.
The investigation remains ongoing.
Click here to subscribe to our KNOP News 2 daily digest and breaking news alerts delivered straight to your email inbox.
Copyright 2024 KNOP. All rights reserved.
Comments are closed.