NU regent acquitted of witness tampering in sex assault case

OMAHA, Neb. (Jan. 21, 2022 – AP) — A jury has acquitted University of Nebraska Regent Jack Stark of witness tampering in a sexual assault case.

The Omaha World-Herald reported that the jury of five women and seven men returned a not guilty verdict Friday afternoon after 30 minutes of deliberation.

Prosecutors charged Stark with felony witness tampering in August 2021. They alleged that Stark told former Husker fullback Willie Miller not to testify on behalf of Miller’s friend, Doug Anders, a former Omaha gym owner accused of sexually assaulting a teen girl who worked out at Anders’ facility.

Anders was convicted in February 2021 of first-degree sexual assault. Stark, a 76-year-old sports psychologist, was prepared to testify as a witness for prosecutors on behalf of the victim but he was never called to the stand.

Former Nebraska coach Tom Osborne testified on Stark’s behalf before the jury got the case on Friday, the World-Herald reported. He described how Stark would help Husker players all the time and created a players-only group in the 1990s that addressed team chemistry and disciplinary issues.