Doniphan teen wants sextortion case moved to juvenile court

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (KSNB) - A Doniphan teenager accused of blackmailing female victims wants his criminal case transferred to juvenile court.

Cody Holum, 17, of Doniphan, is charged in Hall County District Court with four felony counts of human trafficking of a minor, six felony counts of visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct, one misdemeanor count of third-degree sexual assault and one misdemeanor charge of unlawful intrusion.

On Tuesday, Holum pleaded not guilty to all charges and his attorney asked the court to transfer his case to juvenile court. A hearing on the juvenile court request is scheduled for Nov. 28. The judge set aside a half-day for arguments on the motion.

Last week, Holum’s bond provisions were changed after it was learned that he had violated the restrictions placed on him.

Holum’s bond had been set at 10 percent of $200,000, which was filed in mid-October. The judge had also ordered Holum to have no contact with the victims or the three male juveniles referenced in the affidavit. Court records later indicated that Holum had repeatedly contacted one of his victims.

Holum is accused of blackmailing two girls for nude photos and sex.

Hall County Court documents indicate a complaint was reported in August 2023 to the DHHS Child Abuse/Neglect Hotline. A 16-year-old girl said she took nude photos of herself and sent them in July 2022 to a person she believed to be a 17-year-old boy, who she met online and believed to have lived out of state.

An affidavit indicates Holum blackmailed the girl, threatening to expose a photo of her if she didn’t allow him to sexually assault her, which she said he did while at her job.

Later, sheriff’s investigators learned that three male juveniles saw the photos on a social media account which was linked back to Holum.

Court records show a second female victim sent photographs to an unknown Instagram account because she was afraid for her life and the lives of her family. She said the person on the other end of the account had threatened to “shoot everyone you love and you” if she didn’t obey him.

Copyright 2023 KSNB. All rights reserved.