Jury Finds Sidney Clergyman Guilty in Sex-abuse Case

Omaha World-Herald
March 5, 2016

http://www.omaha.com/news/crime/jury-finds-sidney-clergyman-guilty-in-sex-abuse-case/article_b3f4ec5d-dfc6-55b7-be71-4f38579399bd.html

A Fremont County jury has found the former pastor of Sidney’s Cowboy Church guilty of sexual abuse and lascivious acts.

The verdict against Roger Craig Kissel, 67, came after a four-day trial that included testimony from a girl who was 5 when she told her mother about the sexual contact.

Defense Attorney Michael Murphy said Kissel had been set up for a sexual abuse charge. He told the jury that the mother claims the girl told her of sexual contact in July 2013, but she allowed Kissel to continue to have contact with the girl and did not report abuse to authorities until September.

In her closing statement, Assistant Attorney General Denise Timmons told the jury that if there are conflicts in evidence, it came from the adults.

“The most credible person is that girl,” she said. “She was a 5-year-old girl who wanted the abuse to stop.”

During his testimony, Kissel talked about his moral and religious convictions and life-long contributions to society.

Sentencing is set for May 4.