Jury finds Plattsmouth man not guilty of sexual assault
Defense lawyer says the only evidence of a crime came from a person who was determined to be unreliable
By News Channel Nebraska
PLATTSMOUTH - A Cass County jury found a Plattsmouth man not guilty of sexual assault following trial.
The jury returned a not guilty verdict for Tai Trayler, 36, after 45-minutes of deliberation to conclude the two-day trial.
An arrest warrant was issued after Project Harmony interviewed a girl, who was under the age of 16, as part of a Plattsmouth Police Department investigation.
An arrest affidavit says the girl told a police detective that she had been assaulted in 2019.
Defense Attorney Seth Morris she he and Trayler are pleased with the outcome and thankful that the jury was able to sift through the evidence in an emotionally charged and difficult case.
Morris: “The evidence just wasn’t there to return a verdict of guilty.”
Morris: “The only evidence that a crime had been committed came from a witness who was determined not to be a reliable and credible source.”
Prior to trial, the defense was able to get approval to introduce its own expert witness to testify as to why an accuser might delay disclosure.
"The mug shot always comes up before the acquittal"
Morris
The defense attorney said Trayler had been facing a mandatory of 17.5 years of jail time and a maximum of a life sentence.
Morris: “If he was convicted on count 1 he would have spent 17.5 years in jail. From that standpoint, for being able to be a part of his children’s lives, (the verdict) it makes a huge difference.”
He said, however, that some family relationships and community reputation may not be able to be repaired.
Morris: “There are certain things that can not be unsaid about an individual. "
Morris: "The difficult thing is that once the mug shot goes up that is always the first thing that comes up on Google. The mug shot always comes up before the acquittal.”