BEATRICE – A 20-year-old Beatrice man will serve a four-year term of probation for a sexual relationship with a 13-year-old girl when he was 19, which developed over the internet.


Gage County District Judge Rick Schreiner ordered an up-front 90-day jail term as part of the sentence for Joseph Snethen. He was convicted of 3rd-degree sexual assault of a child, attempted child abuse and attempted child enticement.


The judge said he seriously considered a prison term, but opted for probation for Snethen, who had no prior record and was considered a low-risk by nearly every measurement used by state probation.


"Social media does us little good.....does the young people in this country, little good. This is the second time in less than a month that I've had to sentence an adult, because a juvenile lied about her age, on the internet."


The judge said he was “not victim-blaming”…but added parents need to pay more attention to what their child is doing.  Deputy Gage County Attorney Braden Dvorak had sought a prison term in the case…which is what the parents of the victim wanted.


"It's up to the adults to protect children. It's inevitable that a 13-year-old will make bad decisions...or will exercise poor judgment. But, society puts the responsibility on the adults to ensure the protection, ensure the deterrence from something like this from happening, and to hold accountable those who violate the law."


Defense Attorney Allen Fankhouser said he’s known Snethen and his family for a long time….describing him as a farm kid from Humboldt who is not a predator and is a low-risk to re-offend.


"Mr. Snethen admitted his involvement to the Beatrice Police, immediately...without evasion. The age of the victim was discussed with the police, by both of the young people."


Judge Schreiner said he considered the victim-impact statement in the case along with the input of the victim’s parents.  "The court finds that while probation is appropriate, confinement in the county jail as a condition of probation is necessary."


Snethen will be required to register as a convicted sex offender and be subject to the Nebraska Sex Offender Registry Act for a ten-year period.