Authorities: Sex offender paid for girl's nearly 200-mile Lyft ride to his home to assault her

A 34-year-old registered sex offender in Nebraska is accused of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl after he paid for the girl's Lyft nearly 200-mile ride to his house, according to authorities.Nicholas Avery met the Kansas girl through social media and lured her to his home, paying for her ride across state lines, investigators said.Authorities said the driver picked the girl up in Shawnee County, Kansas and drove her to Avery's home in Bellevue, Nebraska.Once she arrived, she was sexually assaulted multiple times, according to authorities."It is shocking for a young child, a 13-year-old to get into a stranger's vehicle in the middle of the night and transported for hours to another state," said Lt. Andy Jashinske, with Bellevue police.The Shawnee County Sheriff's Office officials said they are investigating whether or not the driver should face charges. “These allegations are deeply disturbing and our hearts go out to the victim and her family," said Lauren Alexander, a Lyft spokesperson, in a statement. "Safety is fundamental to Lyft, and as soon as we learned about what happened, we disabled the passenger account used to request the ride."Unaccompanied minors are not permitted on the platform and we have reached out to the driver to reiterate this policy. We have also been in touch with law enforcement and stand ready to assist with their investigation," Alexander added.Avery is charged with first degree sexual assault of a child and is being held in Sarpy County jail without bond.

A 34-year-old registered sex offender in Nebraska is accused of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl after he paid for the girl's Lyft nearly 200-mile ride to his house, according to authorities.



Nicholas Avery met the Kansas girl through social media and lured her to his home, paying for her ride across state lines, investigators said.


Authorities said the driver picked the girl up in Shawnee County, Kansas and drove her to Avery's home in Bellevue, Nebraska.

Once she arrived, she was sexually assaulted multiple times, according to authorities.

"It is shocking for a young child, a 13-year-old to get into a stranger's vehicle in the middle of the night and transported for hours to another state," said Lt. Andy Jashinske, with Bellevue police.

The Shawnee County Sheriff's Office officials said they are investigating whether or not the driver should face charges.

“These allegations are deeply disturbing and our hearts go out to the victim and her family," said Lauren Alexander, a Lyft spokesperson, in a statement. "Safety is fundamental to Lyft, and as soon as we learned about what happened, we disabled the passenger account used to request the ride.

"Unaccompanied minors are not permitted on the platform and we have reached out to the driver to reiterate this policy. We have also been in touch with law enforcement and stand ready to assist with their investigation," Alexander added.

Avery is charged with first degree sexual assault of a child and is being held in Sarpy County jail without bond.