Man accused of sexual assault sets apartment on fire during arrest, Nebraska cops say

Kaitlyn Alanis
·2 min read

When police went to arrest a man wanted on accusations of sexually assaulting children, the man barricaded himself in an apartment bathroom and sparked a fire, officials said.

Veonta Hopper, 39, was wanted on a Lancaster County Court warrant on two counts of sexual assault of a child in the first degree, according to a media release from the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office in Lincoln, Nebraska.

The Metro Fugitive Task Force and the Special Victims Unit of the Lincoln Police Department on Monday went to the Lincoln apartment building looking for Hopper, the release states.

Hopper was staying at the apartment, but was not the tenant, according to the Lincoln Journal-Star.

Police arrived about 9 a.m. Monday and contacted Hopper, who was in a lower-level apartment, the media release states. Hopper then barricaded himself in an apartment bathroom.

For about two hours, police said they tried to negotiate with Hopper, who was still in the bathroom.

“At that point, Mr. Hopper started a fire inside the apartment complex,” Lancaster County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Ben Houchin said at the scene in a video from the Journal-Star.

Law enforcement officers noticed smoke and fire coming from below the bathroom’s door, the release states.

Law enforcement then forced themselves into the bathroom “one, to save his life; two, to get control of the fire; and three, to take him into custody,” Houchin said in the Journal-Star video.

Once law enforcement forced entry into the bathroom, Hopper still resisted arrest as the apartment was filling with smoke, the sheriff’s office said in the release. While resisting, officers took Hopper into custody, put out the fire and helped evacuate the apartment building.

Hopper was first treated at the apartment complex by Lincoln Fire and Rescue before he was taken to a hospital for treatment of smoke inhalation and minor abrasions.

Members of Lincoln law enforcement were also first treated at the scene and taken to a hospital for smoke inhalation and other injuries not specified by the sheriff’s office. The injuries are not believed to be life threatening.

Pending Hopper’s hospital release, he’ll be taken to jail on the arrest warrant. He also faces other potential charges as the fire investigation continues.

The fire is being investigated by a Lincoln Fire inspector and the incident is being investigated by the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office.

Court records show Hopper was wanted on accusations of raping a child, under 8 years old and known to him, KOLN reported, as well as on accusations of sexually assaulting a child under 16 years old.

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