US man married pregnant teen
2005-07-27 07:34
Chicago - A 22-year-old Nebraska man has been charged with sexual assault after he impregnated a 13-year-old girl and then took her to Kansas to get married.
Matthew Koso is facing up to 50 years in prison for having sex with the girl, whose mother gave her permission to get married in May after she became pregnant.
Since Nebraska does not allow marriage before the age of 17, the mother gave Koso permission to drive her daughter across the state line to Kansas for the wedding.
Kansas allows girls as young as 12 and boys as young as 14 to be married if they have parental consent.
"I will not stand idly by while a grown man has sex with a 13-year-old girl," said Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning.
The girl, who recently turned 14, is currently about eight months pregnant and is expected to return to school in the fall.
Koso's lawyer was not immediately available for comment. He was released on $7 500 dollars bail ahead of an August 17 hearing.
- AFP