Omaha man charged with child abuse has mental health struggles, attorney explains the court process

Douglas County Sheriff deputies arrested Zachary Vinton for alleged sexual assault of a minor, but Beadle said he was never charged with that in court.

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Questions from the community after a man accused of trying to assault two young girls last Thursday is released on bond.Court documents show 34-year-old Zachary Vinton has a mental disability.He faces two counts of intent to commit child abuse.Over the weekend, he was released after paying a $2,000 bond.READ MORE: Douglas County deputies arrest 34-year-old man for allegedly attempting to have sex with childrenAccording to court documents, his caretaker told officers that day he has “several illnesses, including mental health issues as well as the cognitive abilities of a .”That’s information, the Douglas County Deputy Chief Attorney said, the court must consider when evaluating a case like this.“It’s so early on still, and there’s much to be done,” Brenda Beadle with the Douglas County Attorney’s Office said.She said their specialized team got this case Friday, deputies had arrested Zachary Vinton for alleged sexual assault of a minor, but Beadle said he was never charged with that in court.“Needed to kind of slow down, do some follow-up, have law enforcement do some follow-up, and then, just kind of charge what we knew we could prove at the time, which is the child abuse,” Beadle said.She said there was only evidence of him chasing the girls down the street from Arbor Gate Park.“It’s one of those really hard situations when you’re kind of balancing, safety of the public and the concern for these kids,” she said.Court documents show the guardian spoke with officers at the time of the incident on who outlined his mental health issues, saying he has the “cognitive abilities of a .”Beadle said his defense will help assess where we go from here.“It’s kind of on them to bring any issues that they are concerned about, if there are any, to the court for any kind of evaluation,” she said.On Saturday, this caretaker’s home— which she told KETV NewsWatch 7 Vinton does not live at— was vandalized.“She’s obviously very upset,” Nate Kovarik from the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office said.Captain Kovarik said law enforcement does not condone this type of behavior.“When an individual takes matters into their own hands, it’s actually undermining the justice system,” Kovarik said. “The appropriate response to wrongdoing is to work with the justice system. Not through retaliation and vigilantism.”He said as a result, deputies are upping patrols to ensure safety on all fronts.“It doesn’t matter if it’s property crimes or violent crimes. We’re there to enforce all the laws,” he said.Beadle explained when Vinton had his bond hearing, the guardian was present in court.“I think the judge was looking at that and making that determination. We asked for at least some bond amount and also to be a no-contact order, which the judge agreed to do,” she said.Vinton is set to have another hearing this week to review his bond amount, something Beadle said hardly ever happens.NAVIGATE: Home | Weather | Local News | National | Sports | Newscasts on demand |

OMAHA, Neb. —

Questions from the community after a man accused of trying to assault two young girls last Thursday is released on bond.

Court documents show 34-year-old Zachary Vinton has a mental disability.

He faces two counts of intent to commit child abuse.

Over the weekend, he was released after paying a $2,000 bond.

According to court documents, his caretaker told officers that day he has “several illnesses, including mental health issues as well as the cognitive abilities of a [10-year-old].”

That’s information, the Douglas County Deputy Chief Attorney said, the court must consider when evaluating a case like this.

“It’s so early on still, and there’s much to be done,” Brenda Beadle with the Douglas County Attorney’s Office said.

She said their specialized team got this case Friday, deputies had arrested Zachary Vinton for alleged sexual assault of a minor, but Beadle said he was never charged with that in court.

“Needed to kind of slow down, do some follow-up, have law enforcement do some follow-up, and then, just kind of charge what we knew we could prove at the time, which is the child abuse,” Beadle said.

She said there was only evidence of him chasing the girls down the street from Arbor Gate Park.

“It’s one of those really hard situations when you’re kind of balancing, safety of the public and the concern for these kids,” she said.

Court documents show the guardian spoke with officers at the time of the incident on who outlined his mental health issues, saying he has the “cognitive abilities of a [10-year-old].”

Beadle said his defense will help assess where we go from here.

“It’s kind of on them to bring any issues that they are concerned about, if there are any, to the court for any kind of evaluation,” she said.

On Saturday, this caretaker’s home— which she told KETV NewsWatch 7 Vinton does not live at— was vandalized.

“She’s obviously very upset,” Nate Kovarik from the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office said.

Captain Kovarik said law enforcement does not condone this type of behavior.

“When an individual takes matters into their own hands, it’s actually undermining the justice system,” Kovarik said. “The appropriate response to wrongdoing is to work with the justice system. Not through retaliation and vigilantism.”

He said as a result, deputies are upping patrols to ensure safety on all fronts.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s property crimes or violent crimes. We’re there to enforce all the laws,” he said.

Beadle explained when Vinton had his bond hearing, the guardian was present in court.

“I think the judge was looking at that and making that determination. We asked for at least some bond amount and also to be a no-contact order, which the judge agreed to do,” she said.

Vinton is set to have another hearing this week to review his bond amount, something Beadle said hardly ever happens.