OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — University of Nebraska Regent Jack Stark is facing felony witness tampering charges in Douglas County.
Tuesday morning, he made his first appearance in court.
The popular sports psychologist that worked with some of the great Husker football teams in the 1990s is facing a Class IV felony.
The charge comes less than a year after being elected as a Regent.
The charge stems from the trial of Douglas Anders, an Omaha gym owner who was accused of sexually assaulting a longtime client.
The prosecution wanted Stark as a witness against Anders for the August 2020 trial. He did not testify in the case.
However, former Husker football player Willie Miller testified as a character witness in support of Anders.
In an Omaha Police report obtained by 3 News Now that was filed last year, Miller indicated he received a text from "a person he knows, and this person asked him not to testify in the case."
Anders was found guilty in the case and is now an inmate at Tecumseh State Prison.
If convicted Stark faces a maximum of up to two years imprisonment, 12 months of post-release supervision or a $10,000 fine, or both.
The 74-year-old remains a NU Regent as the board believes it would be premature to remove him before uncovering all the facts, and without allowing the judicial system to run its course.
Stark and the defense requested a preliminary hearing. The hearing is set to take place October 19 at 9 a.m.
3 News Now will continue to follow the case and update you as it moves forward.
