Internet meeting results
in sexual assault charges
By Jeff Zeleny
Senior Reporter
An Iowa State University graduate
student was charged Monday with two
counts of first-degree sexual assault
on a 14-year-old boy he met through
the Internet.
David A. Stopp of Ames, Iowa,
was arrested early Saturday morning
near the Slate Capitol in Lincoln.
Stopp, 39, had been chatting with the
14-year-old boy on a computer net
work bulletin board since August, said
Deputy Lancaster County Attorney
Jodi Nelson.
Sexual relations between the two
males began in September and contin
ued until Nov. 18, one week before
Stopp was arrested, Nelson said.
Lincoln police Sgt. Ann Heermann
said officers learned about the inci
dent early Saturday morning when the
boy was roaming the streets near the
State Capitol. An officer took the boy
to his south Lincoln home, Heermann
said, and along the way the boy told
the officer about the alleged sexual
contact.
The case is the first involving the
Internet and an alleged sex crime in
Lancaster County, Nelson said. Simi
lar cases are gaining attention nation
wide and prompting a congressional
debate over regulating the Internet.
“I don’t know that you blame the
Internet or blame technology. People
arc going to meet,” Nelson said. “But
it certainly opens up yet another way
of getting in contact with one another.”
Nelson said the Internet issue would
not play a significant role in the case
but acknowledged the computer net
work has the potential to be a danger
ous forum.
Stopp is a first-year psychology
graduate student at Iowa State, ac
cording to the ISU admissions office
in Ames.
Lincoln attorney Andy Strotman
said Stopp would plead not guilty to
the charges. Stopp’s next court ap
pearance is Dec. 4.
Lincoln police reports indicate the
sexual contact, which included anal
and oral sex, was consensual. How
ever, Nebraska statute prohibits sexual
contact with a person under 16.
Stopp and the Lincoln boy met
each another in person in September,
Nelson said. Stopp told police that
since September, he and the boy have
been friendly, but he denied any sexual
contact.
Stopp was arrested near 15th and G
streets, an area that Nelson said is
much like a gay red-light district.
“There are a lot of homosexuals
who pick people up there,” Nelson
said. “It’s certainly an area that law
enforcement and our office is familiar
with.”
Stopp is in Lincoln frequently,
Nelson said, workingas a bartender in
a downtown nightclub. He remained
in the Lancaster County jail Monday
night on $30,000 bond. Judge John
Henvy ordered him to have no contact
with children under 16.
Prosecutors said the boy’s parents
did not know their son was chatting
with the Iowa man on the Internet.
Nelson said she was unsure if the boy
logged onto the computer from home
or school.
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Shivering students try to keep warm in a bus stop Monday after a snowstorm interrupted the
weekend’s warm weather.
Winter weather halts warmer days
From Staff Reports
After another weekend of unusu
ally warm weather, Lincoln residents
woke to a blanket of snow and colder
temperatures Monday.
Sunday afternoon,junior undeclared
major Brian Fomes donned shorts to
play ultimate frisbee and ride his bike.
Twenty-four hours later, he zipped
up his winter coat and slipped on his
gloves.
But National Weather Service fore
caster Rick Chermok said the winter
weather is not here to stay.
“It doesn’t look like it’s here for
good,” he said. “We will be going
back to dry and warmer weather —
warmer than normal anyway.”
Lincoln topped out at 54 degrees
Sunday — 10 degrees above normal.
Thermometers failed to reach 30 de
grees Monday afternoon as strong
north winds held wind chill readings
below zero.
-Lincoln police radios were abuzz
all day about the icy conditions as
officers around town called for tow
trucks and spoke of accidents, ve
hicles in ditches and rollovers.
Police reported 37 traffic accidents
between 6 a.m. and 1:30 p.m because
of the icy roads. Six of those accidents
resulted in minor injuries.
Chermok said temperatures would
reach the 30s Tuesday and, if the snow
cover disappears, could hit the lower
50s as the first weekend of December
.rolls around.
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Continued from Page 1
Ron Kurtenbach, who hosts his own
show on public access, said Johanns
was manipulating Lincoln residents
and council members by making them
fear public access and community ac
cess would be el iminated in the future.
He said Johanns was serving the
interests of CableVision, not the pub
lic.
Kurtenbach and another public ac
cess programmer also complained that
they had to choose between airing
their shows on public access or com
munity access.
Rick Kiolbasa, CableVision direc
tor of human resources and public
relations, was the only person to speak
in favor of Johanns’ proposal.
He said CableVision should re
quire programmers to choose between
public or community access.
CableVision does not carry two CNNs
or two ESPNs, he said.
“Why should we have duplication
of access programs?” he said.
In his defense of Johanns’ pro
posal, Kiolbasa argued that public
access has existed for 15 years and has;
not worked.
“If it worked well,” he said, “we:
wouldn’t be here tonight”
In other action, the council voted!
6-0 to delay a vote until Dec. 4 on*
items relating to the University
Foundation’s planned technology'
park.
Demer
Continued from Page 1
interest in agriculture or agriculture
related industries.”
Demer’s position has its price.
Because he will be on the road for
most of the year, he cannot attend
classes during the 1996 spring and fall
semesters.
But he doesn’t mind.
“I think it’s worth it in terms of
experience,” Derner said.
The newly elected president said
he was excited to begin.
“There are a lot of things I want to
accomplish,” he said. “This is one of
the greatest opportunities I’ve ever
had a chance to fulfill.”
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