A judge found a longtime Omaha gym owner guilty Tuesday of first-degree sexual assault after a teen victim alleged that he told her that sex would help speed her recovery from weightlifting sessions.
Douglas County District Judge Timothy Burns said evidence proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Douglas Anders, 59, used coercion and deception to obtain the teen’s sexual consent.

Anders
The young woman, now 24, collapsed her head into her hands and began sobbing after Burns declared Anders guilty. A couple of Anders’ supporters stormed out of the courtroom. When three of Anders’ friends remained in the gallery, the woman kept her face covered with her hands, sobbing: “I can’t look at any of these people.”
Sheriff’s deputies cleared the courtroom of spectators — and Anders. He faces up to 50 years when he is sentenced in April.
Anders’ case was unique not only because of the facts but because of the provision in the law that prosecutors used to obtain a guilty verdict. Most sexual assault cases involve allegations of defendants using physical force to overpower their victims or raping a victim when the victim is unable to provide consent.
In this case, prosecutor Molly Keane, a deputy Douglas County attorney, relied on the portion of Nebraska law that forbids people from using “coercion or deception” to convince a victim to have sex. Keane said it was just the second time in 15 years of prosecuting sex crimes that she had relied on that provision.
The woman had started at Anders’ gym when she was 15. She developed into an aspiring Olympic powerlifter.
Keane presented evidence that Anders groomed the teen by telling her initially that he needed to perform pelvic adjustments to help with her recovery from heavy lifts. Those pelvic adjustments involved Anders penetrating her vagina with his fingers. Over time, he coerced her into sex.
The woman came forward in 2018 after disclosing her relationship with Anders to a therapist. The case could have been a she-said, he-said but for the work of Omaha police detectives and Keane. Investigators uncovered sexually charged text messages that Anders had sent to the woman by searching a phone the woman used in 2016 and 2017, Keane said. Prosecutors further corroborated her story through two of the woman’s friends. They testified that the woman had described the improper relationship to them at the time it was happening.
Another gymgoer testified that Anders also had suggested a pelvic adjustment to her. She was contemplating it when she was kicked out of the gym for other reasons, Keane said.
Anders took the stand and denied having any sexual contact with the teen, or suggesting a pelvic adjustment to either woman. His attorney, Woody Bradford, said Anders will appeal his conviction.
Bradford argued that Anders should be allowed to remain out on bail because “he has a business to close down.” Anders’ gym — Metabolic Engineering and Recovery Center — is at 9722 Mockingbird Drive. Judge Burns denied that request, sending Anders’ to jail as he awaits sentencing.
“She has obviously struggled with what happened to her,” Keane said. “But she’s shown great resilience and strength. She wanted to make sure this didn’t happen to anyone else.”
Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine said the crime, which started a decade ago, shows why lawmakers placed no statute of limitations on rape.
“I’m sure she had questions, as many victims do, as to whether she would be believed after this much time had passed,” he said. “Obviously the judge found her to be very credible.
“It’s important for victims to know that there’s no time limit when it comes to getting justice. It’s never too late.”
Our best Omaha staff photos of February 2021

Kearney's Richard Harbols dives in the boys Nebraska state dive competition on Thursday.

Lincoln Southeast's Katerina Hoffman competes in the NSAA state diving championship on Thursday.

North Platte's Jonathan Brouillette is reflected in the swimming pool as he competes in the NSAA boys state diving championship on Thursday.

An ice jam forms on the Platte River west of the Highway 77 bridge near Fremont on Monday. Observers in eastern Nebraska will be looking out for signs of flooding as the weather warms up. “We’re just waiting to see how the snow will melt over the next couple of days,” said hydrologist David Pearson of the National Weather Service office in Valley. “We’ll be watching closely.”

Omaha Skutt's Adam Kruse, left, and Gothenberg's Abe Mendez, right, wrestle during a Class B 138 pound match.

Millard South's Joel Adams celebrates after defeating North Platte's Darian Diaz during the Class A 138 pound championship match.

A few snowflakes fell in Omaha on Wednesday.

Creighton's Greg McDermott congratulates Denzel Mahoney on a made 3-pointer against Villanova.

Gretna's John Weed, facing, and Millard South's Antrell Taylor compete in the first round of the 160 pound, Class A state wrestling tournament in Omaha on Wednesday.

Frost collects on a sheet of ice in a parking lot in South Omaha on Tuesday. Omaha set a record low on Tuesday, dipping to 23 degrees below zero.

PJ Smith, an administrator at Grand Island Northwest, helps set up mats on Tuesday for the state wrestling tournament at the CHI Health Center. The tournament starts today and runs through Saturday. Read more in Sports.

Dr. Michael Howard listens to the heart of Bella, a Boston terrier puppy at Best Care Pet Hospital In Omaha on Tuesday, February 16, 2021. Bella was anesthetized before power was cut to the south Omaha neighborhood where they are located because of extreme temperatures in the region. Omaha's low Dr. Howard was prepping to spay Bella by window light before the power did come back on. They had performed one surgery with no power already that morning.

Neymar walks around in a sweater after a power outage at Best Care Pet Hospital at 3030 L Street on Tuesday, February 16, 2021. Extreme temperatures forces rolling blackouts in the area.

Sunlight filters through the steam as cars head east on Leavenworth Street towards 16th Street as the low in the area was close to 20 degrees below zero on Tuesday, February 16, 2021.

Steam rises out of the Missouri River around the Interstate 480 bridge as viewed from Tom Hanafan River's Edge Park in Council Bluffs early Tuesday, Feb. 16. Lows in the Omaha metro area were around 23 degrees below zero. The steam caused icy roads and the temporary closure of the bridge.

Owner Gary Wrenn moves catfish filets from the cornmeal dredge to the fryers at Cajun Kitchen on 30th and Maple Streets in Omaha on Monday.

Firefighters work to put out a fire in an apartment building at 10th and William Street in Omaha on Monday.

Omaha's Matt Miller (27) moves behind the net, near Colorado College's Matthew Gleason (15), Brian Hawkinson (29) and Matt Vernon (30) in the Colorado College vs. Omaha hockey game at the Baxter Arena in Omaha on Friday. The Mavericks won the game 7-1.

Erin Gramke gives Sigurd Sorenson his second dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at the VA Medical Center in Omaha on Thursday. Sorenson, 84, served in the Army.

Rev. Ralph Lassiter sits inside Kohl's Pharmacy during the observation period after his second COVID-19 vaccine on Wednesday. Rev. Lassiter wants to set a good example for his community by receiving the COVID-19 vaccine and stressing its' safety.

The Bellevue West bench celebrates a three-pointer in the Waukee vs. Bellevue West boys basketball game on Tuesday. Bellevue West won the game 74-60.

Hand-painted bonbons for a Valentine's Day special are flavored with, from left, raspberry, passion fruit, vanilla bean salted caramel and milk chocolate, from Sugar Makery BitterSweet in Council Bluffs.

A Gibson Les Paul is one of more than 70 guitars in the exhibit.

A crane lifts a small plane that had its landing gear collapse while landing at Eppley Airfield on Friday. Two people were on board the plane; neither was injured.

Creighton's Damien Jefferson is called for a foul against Georgetown's Jamorko Pickett at CHI HealthCenter on Wednesday, February 03, 2021.

Avante Dickerson talks to members of the media after he announced he was signing to play football at the University of Oregon at Omaha Westside High School on Wednesday, February 3, 2021.

Rime ice forms on the trees at the Chalco Hills Recreation Area on Tuesday, February 02, 2021.

Two people jog around Prairie Queen Recreation Area as a freezing fog covers the region on Tuesday, February 02, 2021.

Frost hangs onto a fence in Omaha on Tuesday, February 02, 2021.
cooper@owh.com, 402-444-1275, twitter.com/CooperonCourts