Lincoln man pleads guilty to school sex assault

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By BUTCH MABIN / Lincoln Journal Star

Joseph Siems Jr. pleaded guilty Thursday to sexually assaulting a 5-year-old boy in an Arnold Elementary School restroom in September.

Siems, 27, could receive up to 50 years in prison when he is sentenced Jan. 17 by Lancaster County District Judge Karen B. Flowers.

Prosecutors said Siems rode a city bus to Arnold, 5300 W. Knight Drive, Sept. 22 intent on sexually assaulting a child. He later told Lincoln Police that he hid in a stall in the boys’ restroom and waited for someone to enter the room.

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Siems Jr.

Siems Jr.

Family members have said Siems has a history of juvenile offenses, including sexual assaults against other children. He does not have a record for sexual offenses as an adult.

Siems, a former patient at the Lincoln Regional Center, at the time of the incident was living at the Bel-Air Home, an assisted living residence at 2328 A St. He has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

At the plea hearing Thursday, Flowers quizzed Siems at length about whether he knew that, by pleading guilty, he was waiving certain legal rights, including the right to a trial, the right to question his accusers and the right to ask a judge to suppress any statements he made to police.

Siems answered “yes” in a clear voice to each query.

In October, the mother of the 5-year-old boy filed a $1 million claim against Lincoln Public Schools alleging the district’s negligence resulted in the assault.

Nebraska law requires that such a claim be filed before a lawsuit is filed. The district has six months from the date the claim was filed to act on it.

Deputy Lancaster County Attorney Steve Schmidt told Flowers that Siems told police he went to the school to sexually assault a child. Siems is a former Arnold student.

Siems told police he waited in a restroom stall for a boy to enter, Schmidt said. When the boy, a kindergartener, appeared, Siems walked out of the stall and motioned for him to approach.

The child complied, and Siems led the boy to a small custodial supply area in the restroom. Schmidt said Siems pulled down the boy’s pants and put the boy’s gentials in his mouth. The boy then returned to his classroom and told his teacher what had happened.

Siems was taken into custody a short time later outside the school.

Prosecutors later charged him with first-degree sexual assault of a child, the same charge he pleaded guilty to Thursday.

A school secretary saw Siems enter the front door before the assault. When he did not check in, she followed him until he entered the restroom.

The secretary then walked to the cafeteria and found the school coordinator, who immediately went back to the main office and told a staff member to call 911. School officials then issued a Code Red, which put the building on lockdown.

Siems, in the meantime, continued to hide in the restroom stall. No one saw the boy enter the restroom.

Schmidt said Siems then walked out of the building, but an assistant principal and custodian who followed him convinced Siems to stay in the area. Police arrived at the school at about 1:40 p.m., roughly 10 minutes after the staff member called 911.

Schmidt said Thursday Siems told police he had agreed to talk to them so that he could give “his side of the story.”

Reach Butch Mabin at 473-7234 or bmabin@journalstar.com.