Man charged with sexual assault after teen jumps from moving car in Lancaster County

LINCOLN, Nebraska (KOLN) – A Lincoln man is charged with sexual assault after a teenager jumped from his moving car in rural Lancaster County, court records show.

The Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office arrested 21-year-old Cesar Rodriguez on Friday. Rodriguez has since been charged with first-degree sexual assault.

Officers were alerted to a possible sexual assault near a rural home north of Martell. A woman told officers she witnessed a 13-year-old girl being sexually assaulted in a vehicle.

The woman said she confronted the man, later identified as Rodriguez, and he sped away with the girl in the car, an affidavit states. The woman followed his car until the girl jumped out of the car as she fled.

The girl was treated for injuries sustained when she jumped from the vehicle, officials wrote. Officers later found Rodriguez a few miles west of Saltillo, where he was taken into custody.

According to court documents, an investigation revealed that Rodriguez had met the girl on a dating app a few weeks before the attack.

Rodriguez was arraigned on that single charge Monday afternoon and his bail was set at 10% of $150,000. His next court date was scheduled for August 21.

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