Bond denied for Omaha man accused of sexually assaulting teenage girl

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – An Omaha man accused of sexually abusing a teenager and trying to kidnap him made his first appearance before a judge Friday.

Ivan E. Vazquez, 25, was formally charged in Douglas County Court with one count of first-degree sexual assault of a child.

On Wednesday around 9 p.m., deputies from the Douglas County Sheriff's Office responded to a neighborhood near North 114th and Potter Street for a call about an attempted kidnapping of a 13-year-old male. An arrest affidavit alleges the victim posted on Reddit saying he was looking for a hookup. He received a message from an unknown account and agreed to communicate with them via Snapchat. The victim told his parents he was going for a walk about six hours after the initial message was posted.

Once they met at an agreed-upon location, the victim told the man she had changed her mind. He grabbed the victim by the arm and dragged her into his car before attacking her.

The victim's mother told the officer on scene that she was on her way to the store and decided to pick up her son along the way. She had stopped in front of the attacker's car; he drove off at high speed with the 13-year-old still inside. He was able to go out and contact his father. She tracked her son through her phone and found the car, followed it a short distance and obtained a partial license plate.

After Vasquez's arrest, he allegedly described speaking with the victim on Reddit and Snapchat, believing the victim was 19 and looked younger due to an illness. Vasquez also alleged that all activities were consensual and that the victim entered his vehicle willingly.

Vasquez was denied bail. His preliminary hearing is set for July 5. He faces 20 years to life in prison if convicted.

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