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Iowa Rejects Juvenile Mandatory Minimum Sentences

jailDES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A divided Iowa Supreme Court says juvenile offenders must be resentenced if they were convicted in the state as adults and awarded mandatory minimum sentences.

State officials say the ruling means more than 100 people face resentencing for crimes including robbery, murder, kidnapping and sexual abuse.

In deciding the appeal of Andre Jerome Lyle Jr. on Friday, the court said required minimum sentences for juveniles are unconstitutional because they amount to cruel and unusual punishment. Lyle was 17 years old in 2010 when he was convicted of robbery and sentenced to up to 10 years in prison.

Three justices disagreed with the Iowa ruling. It follows a U.S. Supreme Court decision last year that all no-parole juvenile lifers must be considered for parole.

Autopsy Results Released in Death of Omaha Mother, Son

douglas-county-sheriffOMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Preliminary autopsy results show a 54-year-old Omaha woman died of blunt force trauma to her head and her son died of what appears to have been carbon monoxide poisoning.

A news release from the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office on Friday said investigators are still awaiting toxicology results to confirm the cause of Cooper Flanagan’s death.

His body and that of his mother, Maureen Flanagan, were found Wednesday morning in their northwest Omaha home. Hers was discovered in the basement. His was found in a car in the garage.

Chief Douglas County Deputy Sheriff Thomas Wheeler told The Associated Press that investigators have considered the possibility that the 18-year-old attacked his mother before taking his own life, “but we want to rule out any other possibility before we make a statement.”

Abdullah, Gregory Named to Walter Camp of Year Watch List

Ameer-Abdullah-Nebraska-Huskers-Football
Ameer Abdullah

Husker senior I-back Ameer Abdullah and junior defensive end Randy Gregory continued an impressive collection of preseason accolades on Friday, as both were named to watch list for the Walter Camp Player of the Year.

The Walter Camp Player of the Year is the fourth-oldest individual college football award. A total of 50 players were named to the Walter Camp list with Nebraska being one of nine schools with two or more players on the list. Abdullah was one of seven running backs on the list, while Gregory was one of only 17 defenders to make the watch list, including just five defensive linemen.

The 5-9, 195-pound Abdullah has previously been named to watch lists for the Maxwell Award, Doak Walker Award and Paul Hornung Award. He has also been recognized as a preseason All-American by several media outlets and is considered a leading contender for the Heisman Trophy.

Abdullah earned first-team All-Big Ten honors when he rushed for 1,690 yards in 2013, the most of any player returning for 2014. Abdullah owns 2,977 career rushing yards to rank third among active returning players in career rushing yards, and he leads all active players with 4,914 career all-purpose yards.

Randy Gregory
Randy Gregory

Gregory has now been named to five watch lists in the past two weeks. In addition to being named to the Walter Camp list, he was also on the watch lists for the Lombardi Award, Chuck Bednarik Award, Bronko Nagurski Trophy and Lott Trophy.

As a sophomore, Gregory became one of the Big Ten’s top defenders last season and has earned preseason All-America accolades in 2014. In his first year with the Huskers, Gregory led the Big Ten with 10.5 sacks and 19 tackles for loss. Nine of Gregory’s sacks came in Big Ten Conference play, including a season-high three sacks at Michigan.

Abdullah and Gregory are two of eight Big Ten players on the Walter Camp list.  Ten semifinalists for the award will be announced in mid-November, with the winner announced on Thursday, Dec. 11.

Three Huskers have won the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award, most recently Eric Crouch in 2001.

Abdullah and teammates Kenny Bell and Corey Cooper will represent Nebraska at Big Ten Media Days later this month in Chicago. Abdullah will also be a featured speaker at the Big Ten Kickoff Luncheon, speaking on behalf of the 42 student-athletes in attendance.

Nebraska Product Commits to Wyoming

Wyoming CowboysLARAMIE, Wyo. (AP) — Forward Rachelle Tucker, of Pierce, Nebraska, has verbally committed to play for Wyoming.

The 6-foot-2 Tucker is entering her senior year at high school and is the second recruit for the 2015 Cowgirl class. She joins 6-1 forward Daley Handy of Maize, Kansas, as verbal commitments for the Cowgirls.

The earliest a basketball player can sign a national letter of intent is November.

Tucker averaged 19 points and 8.3 rebounds a game during her junior year last season. She also shot 60 percent from the field and 70 percent from the free-throw line while averaging 1.7 blocks and 1.3 steals a game.

Tucker said that she will have to work on improving her 3-point shooting but she believes she can do that.

(UPDATED) LCSO Investigating North Platte Shooting

christopher-tidballUPDATE:

According to the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, Christopher Tidball passed away on July 17.

An autopsy will be conducted next week by Central Nebraska Forensic Services in Gibbon.

The investigation is ongoing.

______________________________________________________________________________________________

 

The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office is investigating an apparent self-inflicted shooting in North Platte.

At around 11:11 p.m., on July 15, officers with the North Platte Police Department responded to the report of a physical disturbance at the Patriot Mobile Home Park, 2300 East Philip, Lot #12.

As officers were responding, witnesses told dispatchers that a male subject had fled the scene on foot.

Upon arrival, officers found a female bleeding heavily from her head.  They were told the female had been assaulted by her husband, 26-year-old Christopher Tidball, of North Platte.

The victim alleged that Tidball had kicked her in the head with boots on and beaten her with a lamp.  She was transported to Great Plains Health by the North Platte Fire Department.

Meanwhile, officers began to search for Tidball.

Later in the evening, officers were informed by neighbors that Tidball had returned to the residence.

According to authorities, while officers were in front of the house, Tidball shot himself in another room.  He was transported to Great Plains Health before being transported to Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney with life threatening injuries.

Because Tidball would have been arrested for felony assault, he was considered to be in the custody of law enforcement. Because his injuries are life threatening, Nebraska state law requires that a Grand Jury be convened.

The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office took over the investigation and processed the scene throughout the night.

Authorities say the investigation is ongoing.

The condition of the victim and Tidball are unknown at this time.

Nebraskan Gets 25-40 Years for Attempted Murder of Estranged Wife

Jesus Parra
Jesus Parra

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (AP) — A 49-year-old Grand Island man has been given 25 to 40 years in prison for trying to kill his estranged wife.

Jesus Parra was sentenced on Thursday in Hall County District Court. He’d pleaded no contest to attempted murder, assault and possession of a deadly weapon by a prohibited person. Prosecutors dropped six other charges in exchange for Parra’s pleas.

In February he’d been declared mentally incompetent and was sent to a psychiatric hospital for treatment. A judge said Parra was to remain there until “the disability is removed.” In April Parra was declared competent to stand trial as long as he continued to take his medication.

Police say he attacked and injured Rosa Olivas de Parra at her home in April 2013.

Nebraska Jobless Rate Drops to 3.5 Percent in June

ne-dept-of-laborLINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A newly released report says Nebraska’s preliminary unemployment rate dropped to 3.5 percent in June.

That’s a tenth of a point below the revised May rate of 3.6 percent and a half point under the June 2013 rate of 4 percent.

The Nebraska Labor Department said in the report released Friday that the new Nebraska figure remained well below the preliminary national unemployment rate of 6.1 percent in June, which was two-tenths of a point below the revised May figure of 6.3 percent.

Goodell: 2015 NFL Draft to be in LA or Chicago

nfl_logo2011-medBEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) — The NFL draft is leaving New York after 49 years.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said Thursday that the league has narrowed down the location of the 2015 draft to Los Angeles or Chicago. The event has been held in New York every year since 1965 and has been at Radio City Music Hall since 2006.

Goodell said after a panel at the summer TV critics’ meeting that 12 cities were interested in hosting the draft, according to the Los Angeles Times. But the league narrowed the finalists to Los Angeles and Chicago after Radio City officials told the NFL that the venue wouldn’t be available in April or May.

Goodell said a final decision on the location could be made by late summer.

He said the league is discussing different concepts for next year’s draft because there is high interest and the NFL wants to be responsive to its fans.

Colorado Man Sentenced in Lake McConaughy Boating Death

ne-supreme-court-gavelOGALLALA, Neb. (AP) — A 38-year-old Colorado man has been given jail time and probation for a fatal boating accident in western Nebraska.

Andrew Schmidt, of Castle Rock, Colorado, last week was given 180 days in jail and three years of probation. He also must pay more than $7,200 in restitution.

Schmidt had pleaded no contest to attempted manslaughter. Prosecutors had lowered the charge and dropped four others in return for Schmidt’s plea.

Prosecutors say Schmidt’s personal watercraft ran into and landed inside a boat on Sept. 2, 2012, at Lake McConaughy.

The collision fatally injured 64-year-old Richard Caroselli, of Brighton, Colorado, and injured three others on the boat.

Sheriff’s Office: Oklahoma Infant Found Safe in Texas

Olivia Smith
Olivia Smith

CASHION, Okla. (AP) — Authorities say an infant has been found unharmed in West Texas after she was abducted in Oklahoma.

Dispatcher Traci Tate with the Kingfisher County Sheriff’s Department says the 5-month-old girl, Olivia Smith, was found “safe and sound” early Friday morning.

Tate said later that the girl was found in Seminole, Texas, by local authorities. She said no one was “in custody” but said she could not elaborate. She said that the department had no further details but that the Seminole police chief would be making a statement Friday morning.

In Texas, the Gaines County Sheriff’s Department says no arrests have been made.

The Oklahoma Department of Public Safety canceled the Amber Alert it had issued for the girl.

Authorities had said earlier the girl was abducted near Cashion, in central Oklahoma.

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