Woolery takes plea deal on 2 counts of sexual assault of a minor

Joshua Woolery accepted a plea deal Tuesday morning in the Cheyenne County District Court, pleading no contest to two counts of first-degree sexual assault of a minor. The counts stem from alleged instances occurring in July and September last year.

Woolery, 26, of Sidney, was arrested in October 2015 and charged with six felony charges relating to the alleged sexual assault of a minor between the ages of 12 and 16. Last fall, he pleaded not guilty to two charges of first-degree sexual assault of a child, three charges of third-degree sexual assault of a child and one charge of attempted first-degree sexual assault of a child.

The case was set for a jury trial at the end of March before Woolery, his court-appointed attorney, Michael Samuelson, and Cheyenne County Attorney Paul Schaub reached the plea deal, which was filed with the district court on March 4.

On Tuesday, the plea agreement and the defendant's waiver of rights were presented to District Judge Derek Weimer in court, who accepted and found Woolery guilty on both counts.

Sentencing is scheduled for April 12 at 10:30 a.m. in the Cheyenne County District Court. Weimer said it is possible the scheduled date could be too short of a time for the probation office, so the sentencing could be moved to the first motion date the following month, which would be May 4.

First-degree sexual assault of a minor is a class 1B felony in the state of Nebraska. It carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment and a minimum of 15 years.