A Nebraska man was taken into custody the night before his wedding after authorities said he sexually assaulted a woman who had been helping with last-minute preparations for the ceremony.
Tyler Weber, 33, initially denied the woman’s allegations, but investigators later said DNA evidence tied him to the incident. He has been charged with first-degree sexual assault and first-degree false imprisonment, according to local station WOWT.
The accuser, a 19-year-old woman, was among a small group gathered at Weber’s home in May to wrap up wedding details on the evening before the scheduled celebration. Her husband was also present, the report said.
She told Scotts Bluff County sheriff’s deputies that Weber repeatedly took hold of her hand when her husband was not watching.
As the gathering wound down, the woman said she realized she was too intoxicated to drive home and asked to borrow clothing so she could stay overnight, according to the report.
The woman alleged that Weber followed her upstairs as she went to change, grabbed her wrist, pushed her against the stairs and then forced her onto a couch, where he performed “oral and manual sexual acts on her,” WOWT reported.
She said she told him “No!” multiple times. According to her account, Weber also paused more than once during the alleged assault and said he should not be doing it because he was getting married the next day.
Afterward, she told investigators, she attempted to text her husband that “bad things were happening” while Weber went to the bathroom before returning to the couch.
She fell asleep, and woke up two hours later when Weber’s enraged betrothed came downstairs and started yelling at the accuser when she saw her in her groom’s arms.
She got up to leave, and claimed Weber grabbed her arm multiple times begging her “not to ever tell anyone what happened.”
After driving home, she told her husband what had happened, as well as her dad, who said she should see a doctor.
A rape exam was performed, and Weber’s DNA was collected in June after a warrant was issued.
The swab collected from the victim included two distinct DNA profiles, which couldn’t rule out Weber as a suspect. A more comprehensive DNA test was ordered, which the county sheriff’s office said matched the suspect definitively.
The victim also said Weber bit her thigh during the alleged assault, which was corroborated by a dime-size bruise in the area spotted during her medical exam.
Weber allowed investigators to record his arms and torso, finding no marks on him, which he later attempted to use as evidence that the assault never took place.
Weber is being held at Scotts Bluff County Jail on $215,000 bond and is due back in court Aug. 15.
