August 2013 – Page 27 – North Platte Post Archive

Omaha Homicide Suspect Called Detective Before Committing Crime

Posted on August 22, 2013

(AP) — Omaha’s police chief says a man accused of killing his girlfriend spoke to a police detective just hours earlier.

19-year-old Mikael Loyd called Omaha homicide detective Teresa Negron on Aug. 14 after he was released from an Omaha mental health assessment center. Loyd had been held at the center for several days after police questioned his mental stability.

News of the call comes after police said Wednesday that the center’s staff did not alert police of Loyd’s release. Police are trying to determine why Loyd wasn’t arrested immediately after his release on a warrant accusing him of assaulting his girlfriend.

Police have said Loyd killed 19-year-old Melissa Rodriguez hours after his release and dumped her body in a freshly dug cemetery grave.

Aid, Outreach Credited for Nebraska College Attendance

Posted on August 22, 2013

(AP) — Nebraska college administrators say a combination of financial aid and outreach programs have helped increase the percentage of high school students who go on to college.

Administrators from the University of Nebraska and the state’s colleges said Thursday that a grant program has helped more high school students visit college campuses. University of Nebraska President J.B. Milliken says the university has also worked to offer tuition assistance and a two-year freeze proposed by Gov. Dave Heineman.

Nearly 65 percent of Nebraska high school students went on to college in fall 2006, and the state was ranked 19th nationally. The state climbed to 7th place in 2010, with nearly 70 percent of Nebraska high school students enrolling in college, according to the newest available data from a report this year.

Columbus Homicide Suspect Pleads Not Guilty

Posted on August 22, 2013

(AP) — The second of three suspects in a Columbus stabbing death has pleaded not guilty.

26-year-old Quentin Critser entered his pleas this week. He’s charged with first-degree murder and use of a weapon in the slaying of Steven Jorgensen at Jorgensen’s Columbus home on May 18. Critser’s trial is scheduled to begin Dec. 16.

Authorities say the three intended to rob the 51-year-old Jorgensen, but the robbery turned violent when Jorgensen resisted.

The two other defendants, Eric Henry and Kimberly Henderson, both 31 and from Columbus, face the same charges.

Henry’s pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to begin trial on Oct. 28. Henderson’s attorney, Nathan Sohriakoff, said Thursday that he expects she’ll plead not guilty at her arraignment on Sept. 19.

Driver Killed in Northern Nebraska Crash

Posted on August 22, 2013

(AP) — A 75-year-old driver has died after a collision near O’Neill in northern Nebraska.

The Holt County Sheriff’s Office says the accident occurred Wednesday afternoon, less than a mile east of O’Neill.

The office says Thomas Schneider halted at a stop sign and then turned east onto Nebraska Highway 108. But he apparently turned too wide and went into the oncoming lane. His vehicle struck a westbound vehicle driven by 52-year-old Gerald Kemp, of Niobrara.

Schneider was pronounced dead at the scene. The Sheriff’s Office says Kemp suffered no visible injuries.

Former Ashland City Councilman Pleads Guilty to Water Theft

Posted on August 22, 2013

(AP) — A former city councilman has pleaded guilty to stealing water from the city of Ashland in eastern Nebraska.

Chad Yochum entered the guilty plea Thursday morning. He was ordered to pay a $100 fine and $100 in restitution and court costs.

Ashland police say Yochum disconnected the water meter at his home to avoid being charged for using city water. He was charged with theft and originally pleaded not guilty.

Yochum, who was elected to the city council in 2010, has since resigned. He cited work-related issues.

Lorene Garrett, Yochum’s neighbor, has also been accused of stealing water. She has pleaded not guilty to theft and a pre-trial hearing is scheduled in September.

Kearney Doctor’s Medical License Placed on Probation

Posted on August 22, 2013August 22, 2013

(AP) — A Kearney physician accused of using drugs and prescribing medication without documentation has had his medical license placed on probation for two years.

Daniel McGowan can still practice medicine, but he must abstain from the use or possession of controlled substances unless prescribed by a licensed physician.

McGowan is accused of prescribing controlled substances to friends and work associates but failing to keep records of examinations and prescriptions.

Former co-workers at the Platte Valley Medical Group have also accused McGowan of being addicted to Adderall. McGowan says in a lawsuit that his co-workers ruined his reputation by claiming he was addicted to drugs.

Hastings College Has Record Enrollment for Fall Classes

Posted on August 22, 2013

(AP) — Hastings College says it has a preliminary enrollment of nearly 350 first-year students this fall — making it the largest first-year class in the private school’s 131-year history.

The four-year liberal arts institution says the addition of transfer students means officials will welcome more than 400 new students to campus during an upcoming orientation.

Hastings College offers 64 majors in 32 areas of study and 12 pre-professional programs. It begins classes on Monday.

North Platte Police Warn of Smash and Dash Thefts

Posted on August 22, 2013August 22, 2013

The North Platte Police Department (NPPD) is asking the public to be on heightened alert after a recent rash of daytime thefts.

NPPD Public Information Officer Rodney Brown says that on six separate occasions over the past two weeks, unknown persons have smashed out a car window and stolen a purse from locked vehicles while they are parked at local restaurants and businesses.

Brown said the thefts have all occurred during the daytime hours.

Police are encouraging residents not to leave purses and wallets in their vehicle at any time as this only created a target for these senseless act.

If you have any information on these crimes, please contact the NPPD at (308) 535-6789 or click the Crimestoppers banner below to anonymously report information online.

NFL: Players Have ‘Buyer’s Remorse’ on HGH Testing

Posted on August 22, 2013

NEW YORK (AP) — The man who oversees the NFL’s drug program says the players’ union has “buyer’s remorse” about HGH testing.

A union official says “the only thing” the league cares about “is power.”

Ah, just another day in the squabbling between the NFL and players over how to put in place blood testing for human growth hormone. Thursday’s latest public back-and-forth, featuring NFL Senior Vice President Adolpho Birch and NFL Players Association spokesman George Atallah, comes exactly two weeks before the first game of the 2013 regular season.

Two full seasons already have come and gone since the NFL collective bargaining agreement signed in August 2011 paved the way for blood testing for HGH.

Wolfe Says He Hopes to be Back by Opener

Posted on August 22, 2013

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Derek Wolfe put in a full upper body workout in the weight room on Thursday, then the Denver Broncos defensive lineman thanked his teammates and fans for their prayers and well wishes after he was taken via ambulance from CenturyLink Field in Seattle last weekend.

Wolfe said he hopes to be back in the lineup by Denver’s Sept. 5 opener against Baltimore, less than three weeks after fears that he had suffered a cervical spine injury.

Wolfe said he holds no grudge against Seahawks fullback Michael Robinson, who slammed into him after he’d been cut by Seattle’s Luke Wilson on a running play. Wolfe’s head and neck were compressed by the hit and he lay on the turf for a couple of minutes in the silent stadium before being strapped to a backboard and being taken to a hospital.