A North Platte man is facing a felony firearms charge after allegedly making delusional claims to police.

Just after midnight on March 5, officers with the North Platte Police Department responded to a residence in the 900 block of West 11th Street.

According to Officer Rodney Brown, this was the fourth time in three days that officers had responded to the residence.

Brown said the resident, 36-year-old Joshua Crewdson, reported that there were children inside and outside of his residence, and there was also a group of bikers that were threatening him.

Responding officers found no one on the property during this call or the previous calls.

While inside the home, officers observed a loaded Winchester model 70-7 mm rifle.

Brown said Crewdson is a convicted felon and is prohibited from possessing firearms.

As a result, Crewdson was placed under arrest and charged with being a felony in possession of a firearm.

Brown said it is not believed that Crewdson was under the influence of alcohol or illicit drugs.

A 34-year-old North Platte man is facing multiple felony charges after he and some cohorts allegedly assaulted a man with a baseball bat.

At around 6:45 p.m., on March 3, officers with the North Platte Police Department responded to a residence in the 2200 block of East D Street on the report of an assault.

A 54-year-old male alleged that four subjects had burst into his bedroom and began punching him and striking him with a baseball bat.

Witnesses told officers that all four subjects had fled the scene and the victim was being transported to Great Plains Health for treatment.

According to Officer Rodney Brown, the victim told officers that Justin Martino, his 35-year-old brother Joseph, 32-year-old Kenneth Degeler and an unidentified man entered the bedroom and immediately began beating him.

The man’s wife had removed their daughter from the room just prior to the men barging in.

Brown said there were also others inside the residence at the time of the assault, including a 31-year-old female and two male children, ages eight and two.

Following further investigation, officers determined that there was probable cause to arrest the four men, and charge them with felony assault and child abuse.

On the morning of March 4, Justin Martino contacted the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office and turned himself in.

He was jailed at the Lincoln County Detention Center and charged with felony 1st degree assault, use of a weapon to commit a felony and two counts of child abuse.

Brown said the investigation into the other three suspects is ongoing.

The victim’s injuries were non-life threatening.

 

 

• Today: Sunny, with a high near 49. Wind chill values as low as -4 early. Light south southwest wind becoming southwest 6 to 11 mph in the morning.
• Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 18. West southwest wind 6 to 9 mph.
• Friday: Sunny, with a high near 57. West northwest wind 8 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
• Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 25. West northwest wind 6 to 10 mph.
• Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 58. West northwest wind 7 to 9 mph.
• Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 25.
• Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 57.

 

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A prairie dog management law criticized by Nebraska wildlife advocates could be in jeopardy.

Nebraska lawmakers voted 32-12 on Wednesday to advance a bill that would repeal the 2012 law.

The law gives counties the option to control the spread of black-tailed prairie dogs when a landowner’s neighbors complain. Only Sheridan County has taken advantage of its provisions. The animals are an ecologically important native species that some ranchers view as pests.

Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha says he introduced the repeal measure because the current law is too vague and runs afoul of property rights.

Black-tailed prairie dogs are widespread in parts of northwest Nebraska, where they dig holes in ranchland. Wildlife groups support the repeal, while counties and ranching groups oppose it.