LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A judge has granted a protection order against Nebraska Lt. Gov. Lavon Heidemann after his sister accused him of violent behavior.

The order issued Monday against Heidemann, an Elk Creek farmer, comes as he looks to return to the office as the running mate of Republican gubernatorial candidate Pete Ricketts.

Heidemann’s sister, Lois Bohling, filed a sworn statement last month in which she says he grabbed her wrists and screamed at her in a dispute involving their mother and their family’s farmland.

Heidemann released a statement saying he disputes many of his sister’s claims, but did not elaborate. The statement describes the situation as a “private, legal family matter” relating to his late father’s estate and medical treatment for their mother.

Heidemann was appointed lieutenant governor in February 2013.