Trucker arrested with teenage girl in Nebraska sentenced to prison

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — A truck driver will spend 29 years in prison for sexually assaulting a teenage girl.

David Platt, 58, was convicted Tuesday in federal court of transporting a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity.

U.S. District Judge John Gerrard also ordered him to pay $29,000 in restitution.

In 2022, Platt, a registered sex offender, met a 15-year-old on the website Quora, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

The teen said they wanted to run away from home and Platt said he would take them across the country in his tractor-trailer.

On May 12, 2022, Platt picked up the victim in California, authorities said.

Three days later, law enforcement stopped the tractor-trailer near Lexington.

The victim said she was sexually assaulted every day of the trip.

All the while, Platt was aware of the victim's age, investigators said.

In 2012, he was convicted of sexual assault in Texas, where he served two years in prison.

After his release from federal prison, Platt will be on supervised release for the rest of his life.