KEARNEY, Neb. — A felony sexual assault charge has been dismissed against two men accused of assaulting a woman on the University of Nebraska at Kearney campus in 2018.
Prestin Melroy, 20, of Kearney pleaded no contest April 10 in Buffalo County District Court to misdemeanor third-degree assault of a woman on Nov. 4, 2018.
On April 14, he pleaded no contest in Buffalo County Court to misdemeanor third-degree assault of another woman, also on Nov. 4, 2018.
Court records detailing the incidents are sealed.
Prestin Melroy
Zachary Reikofski
Melroy was previously charged with felony first-degree sexual assault of the first woman and third-degree sexual assault of the second woman.
The charges were reduced by prosecutors with the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office. A no contest plea is neither an admission nor denial of guilt, but the plea is treated the same as a guilty plea.
The Attorney General’s Office prosecuted Melroy’s cases because of a conflict of interest within the Buffalo County Attorney’s Office. The state attorneys couldn’t be reached for comment on why the felony charges were dismissed.
Melroy’s cases were previously set for trial, but the pleas eliminate the need for a trial.
Judge Ryan Clark accepted Melroy’s plea in District Court and found him guilty, while Judge Michael Mead found Melroy guilty in County Court.
The State Administrative Office of Probation was ordered to conduct a presentence investigation of Melroy, including a substance abuse and sex offender evaluation.
The findings of that investigation — including background information on the defendant, his family and his criminal and employment history — will help the judges issue an appropriate sentence.
The sentencing for both cases will be in July. Melroy faces up to one year in jail on each count.
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At the time of the incidents, UNK sent a campuswide email saying the university had received a report of a sexual assault in a residence hall. UNK spokesman Todd Gottula declined to say which residence hall.
A second campuswide email said that two suspects had been arrested and that the suspects and the victim were acquaintances.
Zachary Reikofski, 20, of Fairbury was also charged with felony first-degree sexual assault in connection with one of the assaults. But the felony charge was dismissed, and he pleaded no contest to misdemeanor third-degree assault.
The Office of Probation will also conduct a presentence investigation of Reikofski, including a substance abuse and sex offender evaluation.
Neither Melroy nor Reikofski are currently UNK students, Gottula said.
Both men remain free on bail.
Notable crime news of 2020
Read about some of the biggest and strangest crime stories in Nebraska and western Iowa.
Two former Husker players now charged with first-degree sexual assault texted each other about telling the truth about their sexual encounter with a woman, according to a court document. Read more
Authorities were able to arrest a man in connection with the December 2000 slaying of his neighbor thanks to advancements in DNA testing. Read more
A former Nebraska defensive back was sentenced in Lancaster County Court to five years' probation after pleading no contest to resisting arrest during a traffic stop. Read more
Dustin Moheng was fatally shot after a night involving arguments, drug use, a firearm transaction and a search on Snapchat for Moheng’s whereabouts. Read more
A surveillance camera recorded a young man painting a swastika on the front door of the South Street Temple at 2061 S. 20th St. A swastika also was painted on the synagogue’s steps. Lincoln police are investigating the incident as a hate crime. Read more
A 17-year-old girl was kidnapped in early 2019, taken to a hotel and forced to pose for nude photos that would be used as sex advertisements. Read more
The officers were identified earlier as Joshua Ames, Jacob Sunderman and Matthew Ajuoga. Ames was shot in the leg during a New Years Eve incident and was later taken to a hospital, where he was treated and released. Read more
Since the beginning of 2014, at least 56 certified Nebraska educators were caught having inappropriate communication or sexual contact with students. Their misconduct ranged from sexual intercourse with a student to dinner and a movie with a student. Read more
A Marine from Nebraska who tried to enter Offutt Air Force Base last May with firearms and ammunition in his truck was sentenced to three years in a military prison. Read more
Richard L. McIntyre, 57, was run over last Feb. 3 by a Ford F-250 pickup truck. He had been walking to get a pack of cigarettes near 84th and Q Streets. The pickup driver, 44-year-old Michael W. Sullivan, drove off and didn’t turn himself in until nine days later. Read more
Seven years after spending some time in jail with Joshua Keadle, Cory Pfeifer saw a news report about Keadle being charged with murder in the disappearance and death of Peru State College student Tyler Thomas. The report prompted Pfeifer, now a truck driver from Plattsmouth, to go to the Nemaha County Attorney’s Office and relate something Keadle told him in that county’s jail about the missing student. Read more
An Omaha man was accused of firing multiple shots at a Millard Hy-Vee. An off-duty deputy police chief and a shopper tackled him to the ground. No one was wounded by the gunfire. Read moreÂ
A 14-year-old girl with no permit or licence got behind the wheel of a pickup truck and fatally struck a motorcyclist, Omaha police said. Read more
A 14-year-old Omaha boy was charged with manslaughter in Juvenile Court after authorities said he accidentally shot and killed his friend while cleaning a gun. Read more
A 12-year-old and 14-year-old stole and wrecked multiple cars over the course of a month and were repeatedly released from custody, leaving car dealers and prosecutors furious. Read more
The Nebraska Board of Pardons unanimously denied a pardon for Caril Ann Fugate, now Caril Ann Clair, the girlfriend of mass murderer Charlie Starkweather. Read more
A Nebraska pharmacist pleaded guilty to conspiring with a Maryland drug dealer to firebomb a competing pharmacy in Auburn. Read more
A shoplifter made it easy for police to find him when he filled out a job application at the store he stole from. Read more
A former local TV meteorologist was charged with making terroristic threats against the Douglas County health director. He was allegedly angry about the measures taken to limit the spread of the coronavirus. Read more
Dodge County Attorney Oliver Glass pleaded guilty to driving under the influence, but his legal problems may not be over. Read more
Joshua Keadle was sentenced to 71 years to life in prison for the slaying of Peru State student Tyler Thomas, who disappeared 10 years ago. Read more
Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine announced that he would not charge the bar owner who fatally shot protester James Scurlock, but a special prosecutor has since taken up the case and will present the evidence to a grand jury. Read more
A Carter Lake man was sentenced to prison for an attempted assault in which he used some unconventional weapons for modern times: a hatchet and a bow and arrow. Read moreÂ
An Omaha man admitted to killing a convicted sex offender, saying he feared that the man would harm more children. Read more
An Omaha woman was charged with second-degree murder after killing her husband on Interstate 80. She says she acted in self-defense. Read more
