Senator Dan McKeon, (Nebraska Legislature, Courtesy)
LINCOLN — Nebraska State Senator Dan McKeon has been charged with disturbing the peace after allegedly groping a woman at a post-legislative session party earlier this year.
Lancaster County Attorney Pat Condon reports the charge—a Class III misdemeanor—was filed Monday, after prosecutors reviewed evidence initially collected by investigators with the Nebraska State Patrol, alleging McKeon “made inappropriate contact with [a woman’s] buttocks with his hand, over the top of her clothing” on May 29, 2025, at the Lincoln Country Club.
The alleged victim has been notified of the criminal charge filed against McKeon. The Republican lawmaker from Amherst was previously cited for Class II misdemeanor “public indecency” related to the incident.
This charge elevation comes as several lawmakers and Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen have made public calls for McKeon’s resignation.
“Elected office is a public trust, not a shield for misconduct, and the Legislature must also [be] accountable for sweeping it under the rug,” State Sen. Megan Hunt of Omaha said on social media. “McKeon should have resigned from this office, which I never observed him to represent with dignity or professionalism, long ago.”
During an unrelated press conference in November, Pillen said he called McKeon and asked for his resignation in late October. “This is a serious offense, it’s unacceptable. He has to resign,” he told reporters.
Around that time, McKeon’s lawyer, Perry Pirsch, said the claims are intentionally false or misguided and will be met with a full legal defense.
“Senator McKeon made a single remark – a joke – to a staff member about her planned trip and hoping she and her husband would receive a ‘Hawaiian lei,’ or words to that effect, and he then patted her on the back,” Pirsch said. “It was meant in jest and nothing about his action was in any way sexually charged or lewd; just a bad pun.”
Pirsch added that McKeon, who represents District 41, is “a bit of a comedian” and “has no intentions of resigning.”
McKeon’s initial arraignment hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, December 10, 2025, at 9 a.m. in Lancaster County Court. Condon’s office reiterated that the charge “is merely an accusation” and he is presumed innocent unless and until he is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Story by KLIN
