Plea deal reached in Sheridan County child abuse case

RUSHVILLE, Neb. — A plea deal has been reached in the case of a 25-year-old Alliance man who previously faced multiple child sexual assault charges in Sheridan County.

Enrique Hudspeth-Saunsoci, also known as “Cowboy,” was originally charged with five felonies: one count of first-degree sexual assault of a child, two counts of third-degree sexual assault of a child, and two counts of child abuse.

According to court documents, the alleged abuse occurred between May 11, 2021, and May 11, 2023. Because of the victims’ ages and the sensitive nature of the case, the arrest warrant has been sealed, and few additional details have been made public.

Under the plea agreement, the charge of first-degree sexual assault of a child was amended to attempted child abuse, and one of the third-degree sexual assault charges was reduced to child abuse. The remaining charges were dropped.

Newly filed court documents allege Hudspeth-Saunsoci abused children, huffed canned air in front of them, and held their heads underwater in a bathtub so they couldn’t breathe. He’s also accused of forcing the children to stand against a wall all night and becoming angry if they fell asleep.

Investigators say Hudspeth-Saunsoci used D-ring carabiner clips as punishment by attaching them to the children’s ears. Law enforcement officers reported seeing scars consistent with those clips on the victims.

Hudspeth-Saunsoci’s bond has been reduced from $1 million to $50,000.