SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb. (AP) – A 34-year-old Scottsbluff man has been convicted of first-degree sexual assault on a child and three counts of felony child abuse.
Eric Rocha was convicted Friday in Scotts Bluff County District Court.
Authorities alleged that Rocha sexually assaulted a 7-year-old child in a home and in a car. Rocha was also accused of striking three other children with a belt, and punching them in the ribs and nose.
The alleged abuse came to light after the children were interviewed by the state Department of Health and Human Services, and the Nebraska State Patrol. Rocha was in jail at the time on a domestic abuse charge.
Court documents show the four children are now in state care.