Month: January 2012
Panhandle man pleads not guilty to murder
SIDNEY, Neb. (AP) – Not-guilty pleas have been entered for Nebraska Panhandle man who is accused of killing his live-in girlfriend.
Forty-six-year-old Craig Johnson said nothing as the court entered the pleas on Tuesday. Johnson is charged with second-degree murder and use of a weapon to commit a felony. No trial date has been set.
Johnson is accused of killing 42-year-old April Smith at the home the two shared eight miles west of Sidney. Authorities found Smith’s body Dec. 12 with her hands and legs bound by wire and rope. An autopsy showed she suffered a blow to the head. There were signs she was choked, and there were cuts and bruises on her face and body.
Johnson remains held in the Cheyenne County jail on $1 million bail.
NPCC Hosts NJC (Listen Live on ESPN Radio 1410)
Tonight on ESPN Radio 1410, its a double-header of North Platte Community College basketball. The Knights and Lady Knights will hope to avenge earlier losses as they welcome the Northeastern Junior College Plainsmen and Plainswomen to town. On December 6, the teams met in Sterling, Colorado, where the Lady Knights were defeated 73-46 and the Knights men fell 88-76. Tonight’s game will be the first of 2012 for the Lady Knights, who are 7-6 on the season. The Knights men went 1-1 at last weekend’s NPCC Classic, and their record stands at 8-6. As for the visitors, the Plainswomen have reeled off an 11-3 record to start their season, and the Plainsmen are 6-9. Action begins with the women’s game at 5:30 and the men at 7:30. ESPN Radio 1410’s coverage starts at 5:15.
Husker Men Aim For First Conference Win Against Nittany Lions
The Nebraska men’s basketball team is still looking for their first Big Ten conference victory. After four straight losses to open the league season, the Huskers hope to break their duck in their new conference as they host Penn State at the Devaney Center tonight. The 8-7 Huskers dropped their fourth straight game on Saturday afternoon in Champaign, losing a hard fought 59-54 decision to Illinois. The Huskers improved effort could be credited to the returns of Jorge Brian Diaz and Dylan Talley from injuries. Penn State, like the Huskers, is only one game over .500 on the season, but they can at least claim a conference victory, over Purdue back on January 5. They suffered a narrow loss to 12th-ranked Indiana on Sunday. Tip-off in Lincoln tonight is scheduled for 7:30.
Simpson Leaves Husker Volleyball Program
The Nebraska volleyball team and head coach John Cook yesterday announced the departure of freshman outside hitter Taylor Simpson. Simpson is leaving the program, and the Lincoln Journal-Star reports that she will transfer to Kansas State, the same school that eliminated the Huskers from the NCAA Tournament this season. The 6-foot-3-inch Simpson, who came to Nebraska out of Colorado Springs as the ninth ranked player in the country, played in just 12 of the Huskers’ 30 matches last season, missing out on action due to a back injury. She finished the season with 13 kills. Simpson was behind a pair of All-Americans, Hannah Werth and Gina Mancuso, on the depth chart at outside hitter, with several strong outside hitters committed to future Husker recruiting classes, including Amber and Kadie Rolfzen from Papio South.
Welcome To Nebr(Al)aska!!!
Today: Occasional flurries, mainly before noon. Cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 29. Windy, with a north northwest wind between 23 and 30 mph, with gusts as high as 39 mph.
Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 8. Wind chill values as low as -9. Blustery, with a north northwest wind between 20 and 22 mph, with gusts as high as 31 mph.
Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 29. Wind chill values as low as -10. Blustery, with a north northwest wind between 17 and 23 mph, with gusts as high as 32 mph.
Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 8. Wind chill values as low as -2. Northwest wind between 8 and 15 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph.
Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 41. West northwest wind between 8 and 10 mph.
Local sex offender accused of rape
NORTH PLATTE, Neb. (AP) – A registered sex offender has been accused of raping a 15-year-old girl in Lincoln County.
Twenty-two-year-old James Hobbs III was arrested on Monday and faces two counts of sexual assault.
Authorities say the girl reported that Hobbs forced her to have sex with him twice in rural Lincoln County on Oct. 22.
Hobbs has acknowledged being with the girl but has denied having sex with her.
The Nebraska Sex Offender Registry says Hobbs is on probation for sexual assault of a minor in Red Willow County. He was convicted in February 2010.
He remains in Lincoln County custody. His attorney from the Red Willow County case didn’t immediately return a call Wednesday from The Associated Press.
North, South- What’s the Difference???
NORTH PLATTE, Neb. (North Platte Post) – Early Sunday morning, a North Platte Police Officer witnessed a vehicle traveling southbound in the northbound lane of North Jeffers. The driver refused to pull over and led the officer on a chase to West Highway 30 (mm 165) before being stopped by “spike strips.”
The driver was identified as 29 year old Ryan Holechek of Ogallala. Holechek was arrested and charged with 2nd offense Driving Under the Influence, Flight to Avoid Arrest, Willful Reckless Driving, and other traffic offenses. His passenger, 40 year old Carlos Ayala was uncooperative at the scene and taken to jail for Resisting Arrest.
Woman injured on local roads
NORTH PLATTE, Neb. (North Platte Post) – A one-car rollover accident has left a woman hospitalized with life-threatening injuries.
A news release from the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office says 21 year old Emily Levasseur was traveling east on North River Road about three miles east of North Hershey Road. Levasseur’s 2003 Dodge Dakota pickup left the road and rolled several times. Levasseur had been ejected.
She was transported to GPRMC and later Creighton University Medical Center for further treatment. Her condition is unknown at this time.
NP Police arrest four burglary suspects Saturday
NORTH PLATTE, Neb. (North Platte Post) – A police investigation into two burglaries over the weekend has led to the arrest of four North Platte men.
Around 2:25 a.m. Saturday, North Platte police were searching for 25 year old Clarence Alspaugh who was suspected of driving with a suspended license. After finding and following the vehicle, police found footprints belonging to Alspaugh and 23 year old Aaron Tuenge. Later Saturday morning, the footprints were found to match those at a burglary case reported in the 1400 block of William Avenue. Stolen property associated with Alspaugh was also found.
Both men were arrested. Alspaugh is charged with Obstructing an Officer, Burglary and Driving Under Suspension. Tuenge faces Obstructing an Officer and Burglary charges. Both remain in the Lincoln County Jail.
At 4:05 a.m. on Saturday, North Platte police observed suspicious activity in the 100 block of Rodeo Road. The suspects fled but were caught by officers. They were identified as 27 year old Ryan Markwardt and 22 year old Thomas Keefer. The two men were also believed to be connected to a break-in on the 1300 block of North Bailey. Markwardt is charged with Burglary, Theft by Receiving Stolen Property, and Resisting Arrest. He also had an active local warrant. Keefer is charged with Burglary, Possession of Burglary Tools, and Theft by Receiving Stolen Property. Markwardt and Keefer are in police custody.