KPTM FOX 42: Omaha News, Sports and Weather; kptm.com |Man Guilty Of Sexually Assaulting Girl for Four Years

Nicole Ebat

OMAHA(KPTM)-- Attorneys are calling it one of the most horrific cases they've ever seen.

Stewart O. Newman was found guilty Tuesday morning for the sexual assault of a now 12 year old girl. He was also convicted on six counts of possessing child pornography.

The girl says she was ten when the last sexual assault occurred, but she says it all began four years before that--when she was just six years old.

The prosecuting attorney says he owes the guilty verdict to the girl's bravery in speaking out about the truth.

"Thanks to her cases like these can be put to an end and defendants like Stewart Newman can no longer prey on little girls," said Mike Jensen. "To get up in front of complete strangers and talk about a crime that is so horrific and very intimate and something that she has been battling since she was six, but I think she probably felt vindicated into having a chance to tell her side of the story."

Newman's lawyer tried to get the first degree sexual assault charge dropped. Newman admitted in court that he had done all kinds of "wrong" sexual acts with the girl.

But he said he was careful never to penetrate her.

The judge called that "absurd" just before he rendered a guilty verdict.

Newman could be facing a lot of time in jail.

He's looking at 15 years to life on the sexual assault charge and 3-50 years for each of the six counts of child porn he was found guilty on.

His sentencing date is scheduled for April 11th.

After all that, he could be charged on Pottawattamie County where investigators believe some of the abuse may have taken place.

There are signs to watch out for in abuse victims. Representatives from Project Harmony say many young children will show regressive behaviors like wetting the bed or having a sudden fear of taking showers.

Gene Klein, executive director of Project Harmony, suggest starting the conversation early.

"Being comfortable as an adult to have that conversation with your 5, 6, 7, 8 year old is very important," he said. "It's a conversation that we're uncomfortable having with kids, but it's a critical one."

He suggests talking with your kids about what sexual assault is and then giving your child several adults he or she can speak with.

Klein says 80% of the children the organization sees were sexually assaulted by someone they know. So, having several people the child knows he or she can trust is incredibly important.