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Man Convicted in Hit-and-Run That Injured 11-Year-Old Lincoln Boy

Jared St. Louis
Jared St. Louis

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A 24-year-old man has accepted a plea deal and been convicted in a hit-and-run accident that left an 11-year-old Lincoln boy with brain injuries.

Court records say Jared St. Louis, of Staplehurst, pleaded no contest to felony failure to stop and render aid and to misdemeanor driving under the influence. The latter charge was lowered in exchange for St. Louis’ plea. He is scheduled to be sentenced on April 29.

Police say Dominic “Dom” Walker was riding his bike to Culler Middle School on Oct. 1 when he was hit by a pickup that ran a red light.

Backers, Foes Brace for Nebraska Medical Marijuana Debate

Medical-Marijuana-leafLINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A bill to legalize medical marijuana in Nebraska is drawing strong support from people with debilitating medical conditions and opposition from the state’s top law enforcement official.

Both sides will square off Friday in a legislative hearing. The bill by Sen. Tommy Garrett of Bellevue would allow marijuana to treat certain seizures, disease symptoms and other medical ailments.

Garrett says the bill would help alleviate suffering for a narrowly tailored range of medical problems, and would allow the state to regulate it.

Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson opposes the bill, saying such policies should be decided on concrete medical evidence rather than anecdotes. Peterson says he’s concerned that people aren’t carefully considering the potential health effects on youths.

Report: Suicides by Girls, Young Women Continue to Climb

cdcNEW YORK (AP) — Health officials say the suicide rate for girls and young women continues to rise, at a pace far faster than for young males.

The suicide rate for boys and young men climbed from 2007 to 2013, too. And it remains three times higher than the female rate for ages 10 to 24.

But the female increase has been steadier and more dramatic. One expert said that may be because more girls and young women are using hanging or other forms of suffocation, which is more lethal than drug overdose — the method used most by younger females.

In 2013, the rate for young females was 3.4 per 100,000. The rate for males was 11.9.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the report Thursday.

Man Shot, Killed by Police Outside Lincoln Hotel

officer-involved-shootingLINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A man has been shot and killed by law enforcement outside a hotel in north Lincoln.

An officer shot the man shortly before 10:45 a.m., on Thursday, while trying to serve an arrest warrant at a Motel 6. The man was taken at around 11:30 a.m. to a Lincoln hospital, where he died.

Lancaster County Chief Deputy Sheriff Jeff Bliemeister said three law-enforcement agencies, including the Lincoln Police Department and Nebraska State Patrol, were involved in trying to serve the warrant.

Bliemeister declined to identify the man shot or say whether he was armed. He also declined to give the names of officers involved.

A sheriff’s office employee said Thursday that no other information on the shooting was being released.

Man Gets 5 Days in Nebraska Jail for Using Plant as Toilet

oh-thats-nastyOMAHA, Neb. (AP) — An Illinois man who used indoor potted plants as a toilet was sent to jail in Nebraska — for five days.

The Omaha Police Department says officers responded to a report of a 32-year-old man pulling down his pants earlier this week to defecate on a potted plant in the waiting room area of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services building in Omaha. A building supervisor says he then urinated on another plant.

The man pleaded guilty to indecent exposure and received a five-day jail sentence Tuesday in lieu of paying a fine.

Police say the man explained his actions by saying, “Sometimes you have to let the bear outside the woods.”

A police report says the man has no ties to the community.

Bill to Free Nebraska Motorcyclists form Helmet Law Advances

helmet-lawLINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A bill to repeal Nebraska’s mandatory helmet law for motorcyclists will be debated by the full Legislature.

The eight-member Transportation and Telecommunications committee voted 6-2 on Thursday to advance the measure by Sen. Dave Bloomfield of Hoskins.

Committee members added an amendment that would still require riders younger than 21 to wear helmets.

Lawmakers have tried to repeal the 1989 helmet law since it was went into effect, saying motorcyclists have a right to choose on matters of personal safety.

A similar measure advanced to first-round debate last year, but failed to gain enough votes to break a filibuster.

Bloomfield has designated the measure his priority bill, increasing the odds that lawmakers debate it this year.

Committee Kills Bill to Require Seatbelts for Nebraska Buses

school-busLINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska legislative committee has rejected a bill that would have required seatbelts in public school buses.

The eight-member committee voted 4-4 on Thursday, just one vote short of the majority needed to advance the bill to full legislative debate.

The measure by Sen. Robert Hilkemann of Omaha would have authorized buses purchased after Jan. 1, 2016, to come equipped with lap-shoulder belts.

Committee members in opposition say nationally recognized organizations have not proven that seat belts increase child safety on buses. The requirement would have cost Nebraska public school districts between $8,000 and $15,000 per bus.

Nebraska Man Killed in Head-On Collision with Semi

stanton-county-sheriffSTANTON, Neb. (AP) — Police say a Nebraska man died in a head-on collision with a semitruck.

The Stanton County Sheriff’s Office says 37-year-old Humberto Moreno, of West Point, was killed in the accident that closed a portion of Highway 15 late Tuesday night into early Wednesday morning. Moreno was pronounced dead at the scene.

Emergency crews responded to reports of the accident around 5 p.m. Tuesday night. Sheriff Mike Unger said Moreno was heading north when he crossed into southbound traffic and was struck head-on by a semitruck driven by David Phillips, of Ashton, Iowa.

Phillips was transported to Faith Regional Health Services in Norfolk. No information has been released on his condition.

Officials say the accident occurred about eight miles northwest of Howells.

Lincoln Man Accused of Assaulting 14-Year-Old Several Times

John Jacob Mitchell
John Jacob Mitchell

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Lancaster County officials say a Lincoln man has been accused of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl over a three-year period.

Prosecutors said 37-year-old John Jacob Mitchell is charged with first-degree sexual assault of a child and one other crime. He remained in jail Wednesday night on $250,000 bond.

The girl says Mitchell molested and had sex with her several times. Officer Michael Barry ordered his arrest Tuesday after the girl told officials at her school of the repeated assaults.

Neither Mitchell nor his attorney could be reached Thursday to comment on the charge.

An initial hearing is scheduled for March 25.

Epworth Village Closes Satellite Group Home in Grand Island

Epworth Village
Epworth Village

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (AP) — York’s Epworth Village has closed its satellite group home operation in Grand Island.

Epworth CEO Harrietta Reynolds said the Grand Island operation had become too expensive to run. The home was licensed to hold 10 boys ages 12 through 18 and had six in residence when it closed late last year.

The boys attended school at Epworth Village in York, and Reynolds says their daily transport had become impractical.

The home opened in 1999 across a street from Grand Island Senior High School, but Reynolds says most of the boys couldn’t attend Grand Island public schools because the boys presented behavioral issues.

The home had served boys who were wards of the state.

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