Mother of attempted abduction victim concerned over sex offender’s sentence

Months after her 13-year-old daughter and a friend ran from a man who attempted to lure them into his car, a Sarpy County mother is speaking out about sex offender laws in Nebraska.63-year-old David Jenkins was sentenced this week for one count of child abuse, to serve 90 days in prison, followed by five years of probation and 25 years on the Nebraska Sex Offender Registry. Kala, the mother of one of the victims, said horrifying details emerged about what happened during his sentencing.”As they were walking back to the Dairy Queen, a man circled the block a couple of times, pulled over, blocked them in, and tried to call them into his car,” Kala said. “He had had rope and gloves, bedding and other items in his car.”Kala said her family is still dealing with the trauma it caused to her young daughter. She said she’s concerned about her family and other families’ safety because of the Nebraska laws set for sex offender sentencing.”The state itself is ranked highly for being one of the best places to raise a family. But I think when it comes to sexual predators and sexual offenses, I think the sentencing is our lax,” Kala said.Sarpy County Deputy Attorney Leighandra Hazlett said Jenkins intended to harm the two young girls.”David Jenkins took a sense of safety and security and innocence from these girls. This is not supposed to happen in Papillion or anywhere,” Hazlett said.Sarpy County Attorneys worked with Kala and her family after the incident. Chief Deputy Attorney John Reisz said they looked at pursuing the maximum sentence for the charges, which is three years.Reisz explained the judge chose the sentence with a longer parole, in order to keep a close eye on Jenkins for the next five years.”In his mind, a longer period to observe the defendant and have eyes on him require this particularized training and keep his, keep eyes on him for that period,” Reisz explained.”His court-appointed therapist said that he was at moderate risk for being a repeat offender. That’s super disheartening,” Kala said.Kala said she is concerned there aren’t tougher punishments as a part of Nebraska law.”Even though the judges are appointed, they’re only allowed to do so much. I think certain laws need to be amended and changed, and I think there needs to be harsher punishments immediately,” Kala said. “His court-appointed therapist said that he was at moderate risk for being a repeat offender. That’s super disheartening.”Kala posted online about the horrifying incident, calling for more education around tougher punishments in the state.”I think the most surprising thing that came from that is my inbox was flooded with hundreds of people that have very similar stories, with people that have had very minor to no sentences, or who have had or been repeat offenders and had nothing really has changed,” Kala said.She said she’s working with state and local leaders to discuss how they can prioritize safety for families like hers.Make sure you can always see the latest news, weather, sports and more from KETV NewsWatch 7 on Google search.NAVIGATE: Home | Weather | Local News | National | Sports | Newscasts on demand |