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Bluffs woman enters plea in sex abuse case

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September 15th, 2015 by Ric Hanson

A Council Bluffs woman has pleaded not guilty to charges of sexual abuse involving a 15-year-old boy. The Daily NonPareil reports 26-year old Jessica Pritchard was arrested on July 23 in Alliance, Nebraska, and charged with four felony counts of third-degree sexual abuse involving a minor and four counts of dissemination and exhibition of obscene material to a minor. If convicted of the charges, Pritchard could face up to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

The charges stem from an alleged relationship between Pritchard and a 15-year-old boy in 2015. The Police report said on the advice of Pritchard’s husband, the victim’s mother searched her son’s cellphone and found “inappropriate” text messages and pictures from Pritchard. The mother then took pictures of the text messages and emailed them to herself. She turned the photos over to the Council Bluffs Police Department on July 16th.

According to court documents, during a meeting on July 16 with the teen and his mother, the teen told police that he and Pritchard had sexual intercourse several different times in several different locations. The 15-year-old said he often told his mother that he was going over to Pritchards’ home on the 100 block of Frank Street to watch Pritchard’s daughter, but, in reality, was going over to have sex with Pritchard.

The report also states that the 15-year-old allegedly pursued Pritchard, and that Pritchard also allegedly had sexual intercourse with the 15-year-old’s older brother, who was not a minor. The teen also said he was never forced to do anything he didn’t want to do. Pritchard moved to a town in Nebraska on July 9th with her husband and daughter. A warrant for her arrest was sent out, and she was picked up in Box Butte County, Nebraska, near Alliance on July 23rd. The woman was booked into Pottawattamie County Jail and remains held on $30,000 bail. On Monday, Pritchard’s lawyer turned in Pritchard’s written plea of not guilty.

Her trial is set to take place 9:30- a.m. Oct. 20th at the Pott. County Courthouse in Council Bluffs. The date coincides with Pritchard’s 27th birthday.