GRAND ISLAND, Neb. - LeRoy Svoboda, 67, a former Valley county resident and law enforcement officer, was arrested Tuesday, March 17, 2009, by the Nebraska State Patrol in Grand Island, NE for a warrant issued out of Valley County District court.

According to Valley County Court documents, Svoboda is accused of having sex with a 28 year old mentally challenged woman. Court records indicate that Dr. Brad Bigelow, a licensed psychologist, conducted an evaluation of the woman. Bigelow concluded that she is a vulnerable adult who is not able to  self advocate or make informal decisions on her own behalf. Which means she cannot give her consent for sex.

The sex resulted in pregnancy and the woman gave birth to a daughter on January 26, 2009. Andrea Kemp, an Advocate at the Family Advocacy Network in Kearney, NE conducted a Forensic Interview of the woman. The woman told Kemp that Svoboda had sexual intercourse with her and that he was the father of her child. A paternity test was done and sent to the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. The results prove that Svoboda is the father.  The Child is currently in foster care.

Svoboda is formally charged with first degree sexual assault, a class 2 felony. If Convicted, he faces up to 50 years in prison.

Judge Karin Noakes set Svoboda's bond at $200,000. He could be released by posting 10% or $20,000.

Svoboda had been in law enforcement for more than 3 decades; last employed as a deputy sheriff in Greeley County and worked part time for the Ord Police Department.

In 2008 he worked for Valley County. Upon appointment of Casey Hurlburt as sheriff in May, 2008, Svoboda was not reappointed as deputy sheriff. He subsequently filed an EOC complaint against the sheriff which was resolved in favor of the Sheriff.

At the request of the county attorney, Svoboda will not be held in the Valley County jail.

According to Valley Country Sheriff Casey Hurlburt the case was turned over to the Nebraska State Patrol early in the investigation.  Hurlburt said that Svoboda is being held in the Dawson County Jail.

Svoboda's first court appearance will be April 6, 2009 at 10 a.m.

KNLV has elected not to release the victims' names.

 Click here to view the court documents associated with this case.

Comments (24)

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written by what now?, March 18, 2009

All I have to say, is that is good. But I think the parents of this girl should be right there with him. Hauling her down there to him, and laughing about taking her to see her boyfriend, and not only that but getting paid to take her there. They need to set there with him. And i would hope that the state nwould get her the help she needs. She deserves it. They can not tell me they did not see this going on. You are not that dumb. Justice needs to be served to him and her parents!!!!

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written by Pamela Roth, March 20, 2009

Very interesting. At the end of July 2008 I had called the sheriffs department, the Ord police department, the State Patrol and mayors office, because this LeRoy Svoboda tried to assult my 18 year old daughter while in a police officers uniform. He put his arm around her and tried to lure her into his car at my home. The night before he followed my daughter and a friend around while they were walking. Why did the law enforcement do nothing about this man at the time. How long was he employed as a police officer after I reported the assult.

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written by disgusted, March 20, 2009

I agree with what was said about her parents being there right along with Leroy. I first heard about this going on over a year ago. At first you don't want to believe that people could do something this sick to there daughter, but after hearing more and more and seeing somethings for myself I realised it was true. Last May I had called Health and Human services in Ord and told them the whole story about what had been going on and names of people who had witnessed. They told me that they don't deal with cases like that and I would have to call an adult abuse hotline out of Lincoln. So I did. I told them everything I knew which is more than enough to get an investigation opened and I thought it would get taken care of right away. I waited a couple of months still seeing what was going on and was at a loss of what I could do. I talked to someone else about it and they contacted the attourney generals office the first part of August.
This is so sick!! It really bothers me that it was obviously not looked in to or investigated because it would have been pretty easy to figure out something had been happening when they would have found out she was pregnant! Maybe then there would have been some prenatal care and she wouldn't have had to go through what she did when she had the baby at home!!
I really think things should get looked into about the way the system works!! If they can go to health and human services to get financial support and medical help along with everything else that they had gotten because they have handicapped children, don't you think that they would want to know that the abuse was going on and have to do something about it. If swat your childs butt in public and someone turns you in, you would have health and human services on your tail trying to prove you a bad parent. But when you call to get help for a girl who is being raped time and time again, someone they support and they tell you they don't handle stuff like that, that is a bunch of crap. They need to open there eyes!!!!

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written by Pamela Roth, March 21, 2009

I certainly have to agree with the system protecting themselves. Svoboda actually was assulting my 18 year old daughter while in a police officers uniform and tried to get her into his police car. What would have happened if myself or friends had not been there to witness this and get inbetween them? Wearing a police officers uniform I'm sure is intimidating to a teenager, he could have gotten my daughter into his car and who know what would have happened. Worse than that, I reported it to the sheriffs department and the Ord police department and they did nothing about it. Had they stepped in an arrested the man then and there that would have at least taken him off the streets, instead he was allowed to continue being employed as a law enforcement officer.

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written by what now?, March 23, 2009

They may be a little handicapped id say, but if they can drive a car and each have a license then they are not that handicapped. Get a hold of yourself. Lets quit hiding. Open your eyes. People are not that stupid. Anyone would know that this was not ok. Her parents know. They need to just tell the truth. But they are afraid. I heard them bragging about taking her to see her boyfriend and that is just not cool. And why when this was reported did they not do anything????

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written by Pamela Roth, March 23, 2009

Yeah well this guy is a pervert. What is he doing as a law enforcement officer. I'm still mad as h-- about him trying to assult my daughter.

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written by disgusted, March 23, 2009

The parents did know about it!! in July of 2007 I was introduced to her "boyfriend" by her parents while he was on duty and working in Garfield county over the Rodeo. At the time I thought it was strange but then again you don't want to think the worst of people. They knew what was going on! I saw her father confronted about him taking his daughter to Ord to spend the night at Leroy's house and the father screamed back "We can do whatever we want to!!" That confrontation happened over a year ago and that was the first time that I realised that all of the terrible things I had been hearing were true.
I spent alot of time worrying about her over the past year and a half. I have children and she is not more than a child mentally. It has made me sick in thinking that her parents were enabeling this to happen, she does not know right from wrong and I am sure that she did not even realize the horrible way she was being used. The way I have looked at it over the past year and a half is child molestation. Because if you know her that is what she is is a child in a womans body who does not have the know how to fend off a predator.
I did think before I called to turn them in and I was obviously right to do so, her having the baby pretty much proved that! I just thought everyone had a right to know the truth about the way this was handled when it was turned in last may of 2008!!!

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written by what is wrong with our society, March 24, 2009

I agree that her parents need to be charged as well. I myself have heard them say they were taking her to her boyfriends for the weekend. For the last year we have all wondered if she was pregnant because she was always out and about with her parents until we heard that she was pregnant and then they hid her in her house until she had they baby at home! Being a mother myself you can't tell me that they did not know she was pregnant. The weekend before she had the baby they took her there and left her again. In my opinion they have been prostituting her for out to him for years. These are SICK people and should be severly punished. This just goes to show that sometimes money means more to people than their own kids. These people make me sick!!!

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written by SICK, March 25, 2009

I have to agree with all of these above comments. What is wrong with the system? I am also a witness and know they have bragged about leaving her at her boyfriends for the weekend. What is wrong with them. No need to metion any names because everyuone knows who this girls parents are. I can not believe they can still walk around town like nothing is wrong. They should be so ashamed. I can not believe anyone would purposly let this happen to their kid. And do not give ne that that they are a little handicapped. They can drive and am sure if they had a test they have an IQ high enough to know what they were doing was wrong. I can not believe they couold be that hard up. I just hope this little baby get placed in a forever foster home that will give her a normal life.

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written by irish one, March 25, 2009

I don't think, they will have him on trial here. They would have to disqualify me being on jury. That's probably why he's in another jail too?

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written by Anonymous, March 25, 2009

KNLV - Just thought you'd like to know that you didn't black out the victim's last name in one spot on the court documents....3rd page, next to last paragraph. Just for those people who don't already know who this family is, try to keep it a little more discreet.

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written by KNLV, March 25, 2009

Anonymous,

Thank you for pointing that out. I did my best to keep the family name discreet. It is now removed from the document.

Irish One,

As far as I know right now. Svoboda will have his first hearing in Valley County. He is being held outside of the county as a request.

Andrew Mihm
KNLV News

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written by Anonymous, March 25, 2009

Thank you, Andrew.

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written by Pamela Roth, March 25, 2009

In regards to Svoboda, he was a pervert running around in a cop uniform. What amazes me, after I reported that he was trying to assult my daughter, while in a police uniform, nothing was done about it, not by the police, sheriff or mayors office. This was in July of 2008. My daughter was traumatized by the incident. She was afraid to go out for a walk, that he might follow her around again. She locked the doors when I was gone, afraid that he might show up. The law enforcement sure does protect their own. What I need to do is sue the idiots for allowing this man to continue on in law enforcement after I reported it. What would have happened had not I or some other adult been around when he tried to lure her into the police car. She thought she had done something wrong. In which case if she had, he should have arrested her. That was not his intent. I have seen him in McDonalds and Arby's as well flirting and talking dirty to the female workers. This was about a month ago and he was in an officers uniform at the time.

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written by what is wrong with our society, March 26, 2009

I feel for the girl who Leroy tried lure into his car. I think he is a sick man and needs what he gets. I just hope the girls parents also get what they deserve. This was not a one sided story!!!

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written by Pamela Roth, March 27, 2009

Personally I think Svoboda should have been arrested when he assulted my 18 year old daughter. Instead he continued on in law enforcement for another 6 months before being caught attacking this mentally challenged woman. It is an insult to me that law enforcement in the area refused to follow up on my original complaint. I think this story needs to get out in addition to the current story. I am going to contact ntv as they are running stories on Svoboda. This shows how law enforcement cover their tracks when it is one of their own breaking the law. My daughter was traumatized by this and I won't let it rest. I can imagine if Svoboda would have done something like this to a daughter of the sheriff or police chief, etc etc

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written by rock, March 27, 2009

Pamela Roth, Monday April 6,at 7:30 pm is the next city council meeting,call the city clerks office and get on the agenda, and voice yourself to the board, with your questions. We all would like to hear their answers to these questions, and their justifications for their lack of oversight over the city police. You will also hear how a city council member got more police protection (the wrong kind) then this young woman or your daughter did, I hope to see a packed house.

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written by irish one, March 28, 2009

Anyone, I am confused just where did these assaults occur? I read all articles to this. Says he lived in Ord, and the latest GI. Another part of article mentions Burwell too. Just curious, did anyone offer a reason for why he's in Dawson County jail?

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written by SICK, March 28, 2009

They happened in Ord. The mentally challenged girl lives in Burwell. Leroy lived in Ord and last known address is Grand Island. But this happened in Ord. The parents of her should be behind bars with him. And it is good that the beby is foster car. We sure do not want that baby with her parents or family. Same would more than likely happen to her when she is ilder if they raised her. At least where she is now she stands a chance.

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written by irish one, March 29, 2009

Thanks for the info sick, I agree on baby placement. I sure don't want this to happen again.

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written by considered citizen, March 31, 2009

i don't understand how parents cannot tell that their daughter was pregnant. I don't care how mentally challenged you are this is something someone should pick up on. The thing i'm most concerned with is the baby and how this is going to affect the baby. I also don't understand how this girls parents can go on like nothing has happened. You see them around town and they are going on like they did before all this happened. I'm just disgusted by the whole thing.

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written by Anonymous, April 08, 2009

Concerned, Yes, she was a mentally challenged woman, but, in the court documents (you are able to read them on the link above), she was ruled "vulnerable" which means that she cannot consent to ANYTHING. She had an IQ of 50 - which is about the mental capacity of a 5 year old. So tell me how a man (who's thinking with the brain in his head, not his pants) can abuse such a person? Truth is...a MAN wouldn't. LeRoy is a disgusting, sick individual who will get what he deserves in jail. Once the inmates find out what he did, he will be punished twnety times worse than what he did to the girl.

I agree that something should be done with her parents as well. They weren't guilty in the same manner as LeRoy, but they knew full-well what was going on and did nothing but facilitate the immorality.

Concerned, you say you know LeRoy and that he is not a bad person, but I fail to find the good in anyone who chooses again and again to abuse someone (handicapped or not).

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