Woman pleads not guilty to kidnapping, robbery, conspiracy

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    York, NE (York News-Times) — Kristen Waschkowski, 34, of Omaha (who is now an inmate at the Nebraska Correctional Center for Women) has pleaded not guilty to charges of kidnapping, robbery and conspiracy in a case where a man claims he was set up in a “sex worker” crime that resulted in threats of injury, loss of property and being held against his will.

According to the affidavit for arrest, filed with the York County Court, an investigator with the Nebraska State Patrol was assigned to investigate a kidnapping and robbery that occurred at a hotel in York.

The alleged victim, a 25-year-old man from Ohio, reported to the Lincoln Police Department that on Sept. 26, 2019, he was staying at that hotel in York. Court documents indicate that the man said he used the website skipthegames.com “to make an appointment with a sex worker for $400. He paid $60 via Pay Pal to kristenwashchkowski54@gmail.com as a deposit.” He told Lincoln police that “it was taking too long for her to get there and he decided not to continue with the appointment. The next morning, at approximately 7 a.m., he left his hotel room to go to work and was confronted by a man. The man pushed him against the exterior wall of the hotel, causing scratches and lacerations to his left elbow and right knuckles. The man emptied (the victim’s) pockets and took two cell phones, his wallet, a gas card, a smart watch and keys. The man told (the victim) to get in his vehicle because they were going to settle the debt for the appointment.”

The NSP investigator said in his report that the alleged victim got into the passenger seat of his own vehicle while the other man drove. Then, a female which (the victim) identified from an ad on skipthegames.com got into the vehicle and sat behind him. The victim said another woman followed behind them in another vehicle.

“(The victim) sent them another $10 via Pay Pal in attempt to appease them,” the investigator said in the affidavit, “but they were not satisfied. He attempted to send a larger amount but Pay Pal flagged it as suspicious and would not let him send any more money. They got off the interstate at the Waco interchange and used (the victim’s) gas card to pay for fuel in their vehicle. The female he identified from the sex worker ad pulled a knife out and told him that if they didn’t get the money he owed them, that she would cut him. He said he was afraid that they would hurt him.”

The investigator indicates that the suspects took (the victim) to the Walmart on North 27th Street in Lincoln and required him to purchase $300 in Visa gift cards. “Then they required him to provide $500 in cash, which (the victim) had to have his father send by money wire. The man took the money and they left (the victim) in the Walmart parking lot. When (the victim) returned to his vehicle, he discovered several items had been stolen out of the vehicle, in addition to the items stolen from his person earlier. The Lincoln Police Department estimated (the victim’s) loss was approximately $1,910.”

The investigator discovered a Kristen E. Waschkowski (as referenced in the email address) in the Nebraska Criminal Justice Information System and the victim was able to identify her as being the woman who threatened him with the knife. It was also noted that at that time, she was on probation. She is currently incarcerated at the prison in York for a non-related conviction of delivery of methamphetamine in Douglas County (serving a three-year sentence).

In this new case, Waschkowski is charged with kidnapping, robbery and conspiracy to commit a Class 2 felony – all three charges are Class 2 felonies and carry a possible maximum sentence of 50 years in prison. So if convicted of all counts, she could be facing a possible maximum sentence of 150 years in prison.

She entered her not guilty plea this week before Judge James Stecker in York County District Court.

A trial has been scheduled for mid-December.

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