Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Man jailed for marrying and having sex with his daughter

Woman told police she pursued relationship due to 'jealous competition with her half-sister regarding who could have sex with their father'

Clark Mindock
New York
Friday 31 May 2019 19:15 BST
Comments
(Hall County Department of Corrections)

Your support helps us to tell the story

This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.

The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.

Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.

A Nebraska man has been sentenced to two years in prison after marrying his 21-year-old biological daughter and then having sex with her.

Travis Fieldgrove pleaded no contest when faced with the charges of attempted incest, giving the 40-year-old the maximum penalty possible for the charges stemming from a January arrest alleging that he and his daughter had sex last year.

Police say that Fieldgrove and his daughter, Samantha Kershner, met after the daughter asked her mother three years ago who her father was. The mother then set up a meeting, and the two tried to initiate a father-daughter relationship.

The relationship turned sexual last September, leading to Kershner pleading no contest to incest in April. The Omaha World-Herald reports she told police that she first pursued the sexual relationship because of a “jealous competition with her half-sister regarding who could have sex with their father”.

During court proceedings on Thursday, Fieldgrove’s lawyer said his client was embarrassed by the incident, and wished it had never happened, according to the Lincoln Journal Star.

The lawyer also indicated that Fieldgrove suffered from a brain injury and was not “high-functioning”.

The judge overseeing the case ultimately sentenced him to two years in prison, plus another year of post-release supervision. Including time served, Fieldgrove will serve roughly eight more months.

Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events

Fieldgrove still faces other charges in a separate case.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in