BLAKE BUBAK
bubakbt@lopers.unk.edu
Three individuals were charged in sexual assault cases that took place on or near the UNK campus in 2018 and 2019. Since then, updates on these cases has been confirmed.
Todd Gottula, the senior director of communications and marketing at UNK, provided current status information on the individuals and their position at UNK.
“Prestin Melroy and Zachary Reikofski are no longer enrolled at UNK. Miguel Guzman is currently enrolled at the university,” Gottula said.
Melroy and Reikofski were arrested two days after the incident that occurred on Nov. 4, 2018. Both parties were charged with sexual assault in the first degree which is considered a class II felony.
Details of the case have been sealed to protect the victims, but according to the Kearney Hub, Melroy is also facing a charge of misdemeanor third-degree sexual assault that took place on the same day as the original incident.
Each party pleaded not guilty to the accusations and have consolidated their cases to take place on the same trial date. The situation took place a little less than two years ago, and it is just now coming to the forefront with their current trial date set for May 11 of this year.
The UNK Student Code of Conduct promotes the importance of reporting sexual assault cases as well as properly handling these types of situations.
“The University will attempt to cooperate with law enforcement and other agencies in the enforcement of criminal law on campus and in the condition imposed by criminal courts for the rehabilitation of Student violators,” quoted under the Violation of Law and University Discipline.
Miguel Guzman was initally charged with felony first-degree sexual assault in an incident that took place on Feb. 24, 2019. He pleaded no contest to receive reduced charges. These were named as third-degree sexual assault, third-degree assault and second-degree false imprisonment which are considered misdemeanors.
Information regarding details of the case have been sealed. With his “no contest” plea, the state agreed to dismiss the case in district court. Guzman was once a member of the Sigma Lambda Beta fraternity on campus but has since been removed.
With Guzman’s case closed, his fate is definite with the evidence that has been collected.
“Sentencing will be in April. Guzman faces up to one year in jail on each charge,” a report by the Kearney Hub said.
