Plattsmouth man accused of sexually abusing teenage girl for years pleads not guilty

PLATTSMOUTH, Neb. (KOLN) – A Plattsmouth man accused of sexually abusing a 19-year-old girl for years entered his plea Tuesday.

Mathew Kocken, 41, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree sexual assault of a child, a Class 1B felony, and intentional child abuse resulting in no injury, a Class 3A felony.

The pretrial phase of Kocken’s trial is scheduled to begin in Cass County District Court on Nov. 18 at 10:30 a.m. His jury trial is also scheduled in the same court on Dec. 4 at 8:30 a.m.

Officers were called to a home in Plattsmouth on May 28 to investigate reports of abuse. Kochen was taken into custody on an outstanding arrest warrant, and a then-18-year-old girl living in the home spoke to police.

She described a pattern of sexual abuse that Kochen subjected her to starting in 2020, when she was 15, according to the arrest affidavit. This led to a wider investigation into Kocken.

Search warrants filed with Google and Facebook revealed several images, showing Kochen sexually abusing the girl, which police say were shared with two people via Facebook in May.

Kocken allegedly sent the photos to a man and told him he could have sex with the girl for $300. The girl received these messages on August 1, confirming that the photos had been taken and shared without her consent.

She also told officers that Kochen pressured her to have sex with another man, but it is unclear whether Kochen received any payment, officers wrote.

About two weeks later, the girl provided more details about the abuse, which police say began shortly after Kocken began grooming her, when she was 15 years old. The alleged abuse continued for four years.

An arrest warrant was filed for Kochen on August 20 in connection with two cases of alleged abuse of the girl, and he was taken into custody in September.

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