Cass County (trfnews.i234.me) — A West Fargo man has been found guilty of sexually abusing a child after a Cass County jury returned three felony convictions.
Jury Finds Nicholas Wika Guilty On All Counts
Court records say Nicholas Wika was charged with three counts of gross sexual imposition.
Each count involved the same child victim.
Wika entered not guilty pleas on September 3.
The case went to trial in Cass County District Court.
On December 5, jurors found Wika guilty on all three charges.
Details of the verdict are listed in the online North Dakota Courts case search.
Child Reported Fear Of Being Near Defendant
According to court documents, police were contacted after the child told an adult they were scared.
The child said they did not want to be in the same room as Wika.
Investigators then interviewed the child about the concern.
The child reported that Wika had asked to touch them several times.
Documents say the child also said Wika told them not to tell anyone.
The victim told officers the abuse happened on their first day of second grade.
Arrest And Search Of West Fargo Home
Wika was arrested on July 16 after officers executed a search warrant.
Investigators checked areas inside the home that the child had described.
Court records state that those areas matched the locations named by the victim.
Evidence from the search and interviews was later presented at trial.
Sentencing To Be Scheduled
As of the latest court filing, a sentencing date has not been set.
Gross sexual imposition is a serious felony under North Dakota law.
Sentencing information and future hearing dates will appear on the North Dakota Courts docket.
Resources For Child Abuse Victims
Officials urge anyone who suspects child abuse to contact local law enforcement or child protection services.
National help is available through the RAINN sexual assault hotline.
North Dakota residents can also find victim support resources through the North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services.
I’m Chris Harper reporting for TRF News.
