LINCOLN, Neb. — State Senator Dan McKeon of Amherst has issued a public apology after being charged with public indecency and facing calls from Gov. Jim Pillen to resign over an alleged inappropriate remark and gesture made towards a staffer during a legislative party in May.


In a written statement McKeon acknowledged making what he called “a joke in the wrong moment and tone” toward a legislative staff member during the end-of-session event.


Attorney Scott Pirsch, representing McKeon, said the senator’s remark referenced a “Hawaiian lei” while speaking with the staffer and included a pat on the back. Pirsch described it as “a bad pun” that was “meant in jest,” saying there was “nothing sexually charged or lewd” about the interaction.


Pirsch said McKeon later learned the staffer had been offended and sent a handwritten apology last July. In that note, McKeon wrote, “I was saying it in a joking manner, and I know that alcohol had some influence but that's no excuse. The Lord knows we are all sinners, and we make mistakes. I will learn from this going forward as a freshman senator in the Nebraska Legislature.”


McKeon was later charged with public indecency, defined under state law as “a lewd fondling or caressing of a person.” Pirsch disputed that definition as applicable, arguing that McKeon’s actions did not meet the legal standard for lewd conduct.


In his Tuesday statement, McKeon said he accepts responsibility for poor judgment in tone but denied any sexual misconduct.


“I did not engage in public lewd fondling or caressing,” McKeon said. “I apologized for my joke and a pat on the back, but I will not resign. I answer to God, my family, and the voters of my community — and they will decide my future.”


McKeon added that he intends to continue serving his district and focus on the upcoming legislative session, calling the situation “political theater” that distracts from his work for Nebraskans.