LINCOLN Nebraska football player Andy Christensen remained in jail after the judge in his case recused herself and his attorney withdrew.
Christensen had been scheduled for arraignment Tuesday after being arrested on suspicion of first-degree sexual assault last weekend. He'll return to Lancaster County Court for a Thursday hearing before Judge Gerald Rouse.
Judge Mary Doyle recused herself during Tuesday's three-minute hearing. She said she has a personal relationship with the alleged victim.
Defense attorney Brad Roth also withdrew from the case. He declined to give a reason.
Robert Creager, Christensen's new attorney, asked Doyle to review Christensen's bail, which had been set at $500,000 by Judge Lyn White on Monday.
Creager asked Doyle to lower the bail to $300,000, adding that Christensen could come up with required $30,000 to get out of jail.
"I'm not going to make any ruling in this case," Doyle snapped.
"I had to ask. He's sitting in jail," Creager said.
Christensen did not appear in court. His parents, Don and Denise Christensen of Bennington, sat in the back of the courtroom and left without commenting.
Creager also declined to comment after the hearing.
Andy Christensen is accused of molesting a 23-year-old woman at the Brass Rail bar early Saturday.
He was arrested on suspicion of first-degree sexual assault, resisting arrest and failure to comply after police responded to a call at 12:35 a.m.
Here is an account taken from court documents:
The woman was at the bar with friends and was approached by Christensen, whom she knows.
At one point, she turned away from Christensen. He then reached under her skirt and fondled her, briefly penetrating her with two fingers.
Christensen pulled his hand away when she turned back toward him, and he walked to another part of the bar.
Christensen was arrested by Lincoln police outside the bar. He aggressively resisted efforts to handcuff him and place him in a police vehicle. He kicked the vehicle, denting it.
He was placed in a security chair at the jail to control his behavior.
Christensen, who graduated from Bennington High School, started three games at left guard last season before suffering a season-ending knee injury. He started eight of 14 games as a sophomore and was a first-team academic All-Big 12 selection in 2006.
Christensen's arrest came less than 24 hours before defensive lineman Ben Martin and offensive lineman Mike Smith were ticketed in connection with a loud party at a northwest Lincoln residence. Former Huskers Maurice Purify and Carl Nicks also were ticketed.
Smith was accused of "maintaining a disorderly house" and Martin of being an "inmate of a disorderly house."
Nebraska coach Bo Pelini has suspended Christensen indefinitely and also took unspecified disciplinary action against Smith and Martin.
Pelini said in a statement that he held a team meeting Monday night to discuss the situation.
"I talked with the entire team last night and clearly explained to them that from this point forward we will have a zero-tolerance policy regarding alcohol and social responsibility," Pelini said. "Our players understand the intent of this rule and what we are trying to accomplish. Therefore, any violation will be handled individually as it pertains to the specific circumstance.
"Our players also understand that certain establishments are off-limits, and that the policy also pertains to their behavior in other social settings. I made it clear to them that our policy will be strictly enforced."
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