Donald Roberts of Seward took a plea agreement on Feb. 1 after having the majority of his charges dropped earlier in the week.
The 44-year-old was arrested in January 2023 on multiple counts of sexually assaulting a minor child under the age of 15. The incidents were alleged to have occurred in late 2022 and began when Roberts was teaching the minor to drive by requiring the child to sit on his lap. The severity of the alleged occurrences grew after that.
Roberts was originally charged with seven counts, including first-degree sexual assault of a child, false imprisonment and child abuse. Those charges were reduced by Seward County Attorney Wendy Eliston to third-degree sexual assault of a child in exchange for his plea.
The charge is a Class IIIA felony and carries a possible punishment of up to three years in prison and 18 months post-release supervision and up to a $10,000 fine.
Roberts will be required to register as a sex offender.
A pre-sentence investigation and alcohol evaluation were ordered to be performed prior to the sentencing hearing scheduled for May 2.
Roberts remains in custody at the Seward County Detention Center.
