LPD: Victim held against her will, sexually assaulted for a week

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — A woman, reported missing on Thursday, May 13, was found over a week later claiming to have been held against her will and sexually assaulted.

Around 2 pm Friday, officers with the Lincoln Police Department (LPD) arrived at a local hospital where the 18-year-old victim was being treated.

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According to police, it all began when she met 22-year-old Talon Dennis on social media. She agreed to meet him at his apartment, near N 1st and Flecher Ave on Friday, May 14th.

When she arrived, Dennis’s roommate, 24-year-old Ricky Ossler was there as well, police said.

The victim said she may have been drugged and felt threatened while at their apartment. She was also told that they would take care of her if she “watched after their children and did housework for them,” according to police.

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On Sunday, May 16th, the men took her to another apartment near S 17th and South Streets, where she reported being physically assaulted and knocked unconscious.

When she woke up, the victim says she was being sexually assaulted by Dennis, Ossler, and another man identified by police as 23-year-old Gianni Phillips.

She told police the men moved her back to the first apartment on Fletcher Ave the following morning, where Dennis and Ossler allegedly assaulted her several more times.

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At one point, both men left the apartment and the victim was able to escape and contact the police.

She was looked over by a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner who noted several bruises, cuts, and abrasions consistent with the victim’s statement.

A search warrant was served at the Fletcher apartment on Saturday, May 22. Dennis and Ossler were taken into custody.

The next day, a search warrant was served at the apartment near South Street and Phillips was also taken into custody.

All three men were arrested for 1st Degree Sexual Assault and 1st Degree False Imprisonment.

If you are the victim of a sexual assault, you can make an anonymous report online at www.lincoln.ne.gov/City/Departments/Police/Services/Report-Sex-Assault-Anonymously or over the phone at 402-441-3866. 

Voices of Hope is a nonprofit which provides services to victims of sexual assault. You can reach them at 402-476-2110 or on their 24-hour crisis line at 402-475-7273.