Rape Survivor Confronts GOP Senator Pete Ricketts Over His Deciding Vote To Pardon Her Attacker, Restore His Gun Rights

A Nebraska rape survivor has confronted Republican Senator Pete Ricketts in a new political ad over his 2022 vote to pardon the man convicted of sexually assaulting her, a decision that restored his gun rights and allowed his removal from the state's sex offender registry.

Nebraska Values PAC, an independent-expenditure-only political committee opposing Ricketts in Nebraska's 2026 Senate race, released the testimonial.

Survivor Says Pardon 'Brought Back All the Nightmares'

Jody Snogren recounts the 1993 attack by her then-estranged husband, John Arias, in the new ad. Snogren said Arias arrived at her home in Ogallala on 30 April 1993 armed with a large hunting knife and parachute cord.

She said he tied and gagged her and repeatedly sexually assaulted her while their two young sons, aged five and seven, and another child were nearby.

Arias later fled to Texas with the children, leaving Snogren tied and gagged. He pleaded guilty to first-degree sexual assault and was sentenced to 15 to 30 years in prison. Other charges, including allegations involving a weapon, terroristic threats and false imprisonment, were dropped as part of the plea agreement.

Arias served nearly 14 years before being released in April 2008. In the new ad, Snogren says Arias told her she should 'watch [her] back for the rest of [her] life'.

'That pardon brought back all the nightmares,' she says. 'I have no idea why Senator Ricketts chose my rapist over me.'

Ricketts Cast Deciding Vote for Pardon

Arias appeared before Nebraska's three-member Board of Pardons on 19 September 2022. Ricketts, then Nebraska governor, voted alongside then-Attorney General Doug Peterson to grant the pardon. Secretary of State Bob Evnen voted against it.

Audio from the hearing featured in the new advertisement captures Ricketts casting his vote before telling Arias: 'But with that, you've got your pardon.'

Evnen said during the proceedings that he did not believe Arias had 'fully come to grips with what happened that night'.

The pardon allowed Arias to be removed from Nebraska's Sex Offender Registry and restored his voting and firearm rights. Arias had told the board that restoring his gun rights and getting off the registry were among his reasons for seeking the pardon.

Ricketts defended the decision at the time, saying Arias had accepted responsibility, had 'shown to be remorseful' and had committed no further offences since serving his sentence. He also pointed to Arias' work helping other veterans.

Snogren Says She Was Never Notified About Hearing

Snogren was not present when the pardon was considered and said she had no opportunity to address the board before it made its decision. She later said the Board of Pardons did not notify her that Arias had applied for clemency or that the hearing was taking place.

'I found out just totally by accident,' Snogren says in the new ad. 'I thought it impossible that anyone would make that decision without contacting the victim.'

Snogren previously said she learned about the pardon through news coverage after the hearing. The controversy subsequently prompted efforts to strengthen Nebraska's victim-notification rules.

Legislation enacted in 2023 now requires the Board of Pardons to notify qualifying victims whose names appear in an offender's file by certified mail at least 30 calendar days before pardon or commutation proceedings. Victims must also be notified within 10 days if the Board grants a pardon or commutation.

The new Nebraska Values ad has brought the 2022 decision back into the spotlight as Ricketts campaigns for another Senate term. 'Pete Ricketts cast the deciding vote to pardon this man,' Snogren says in the testimonial.

'Because of Pete Ricketts, my attacker is now allowed to own a gun and had his name removed from the sex offender registry. I have no idea why Senator Ricketts chose my rapist over me.' Ricketts had not publicly responded to the new advertisement as of 30 September.