July 2015 – Page 53 – North Platte Post Archive

California Couple Married 75 Years Dies in Each Other’s Arms

Posted on July 3, 2015

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Jeanette and Alexander Toczko were each 8 years old when they became smitten with one another. They married in 1940 and were rarely apart in the decades since.

They told their children they wished to die in each other’s arms. And last month at their home in San Diego, just days before their 75th wedding anniversary, that wish was fulfilled.

95-year-old Alexander’s health was failing rapidly after he broke his hip. His children put Jeanette in bed next to him.

According to their daughter, Aimee Toczko-Cushman, after Alexander died, Jeanette said, “Wait for me, I’ll be there soon.”

The family left her alone and just hours later, Jeanette died too.

The couple was buried Monday at Miramar National Cemetery.

Columbus Woman Charges with Child Benefits Fraud

Posted on July 3, 2015

COLUMBUS, Neb. (AP) — A 35-year-old Columbus woman is accused of filing false information in order to obtain government aid for her two children.

Court records say Jennifer Maurer is charged with felony fraud to obtain assistance. Her attorney didn’t immediately return a call Friday from The Associated Press.

The records say Maurer fraudulently received more than $1,800 total in benefits from two programs after falsely reporting that the two children lived with her from October 2013 through March 2014. Authorities say the children were living with their father in Gresham at the time and were enrolled in York schools.

13-Year-Old Charged with Raping Girl on School Bus

Posted on July 3, 2015

PORT TOWNSEND, Wash. (AP) — Officials say a 13-year-old boy attacked a 7-year-old girl on a Chimacum school bus and has been charged with three counts of first-degree rape.

The Chimacum Middle School student is scheduled for his first juvenile court appearance on July 15.

Court records say the boy and girl rode the bus together from September 2014 until the end of February. The alleged assault was reported after the girl told her aunt about it and the aunt took the girl to a doctor.

No attorney had been appointed or hired for the boy as of Thursday.

Court records say the boy was expelled from school and released to his family until the legal case is resolved.

Nebraska AG Says University Violated Open Meetings Act

Posted on July 3, 2015

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska’s attorney general says the University of Nebraska violated the state’s open meetings law when it held private meetings as part of its search for a new president.

Attorney General Doug Peterson concluded the University of Nebraska violated the open meetings act when it held a series of private committee sessions leading to the disclosure of four finalists.

However, Peterson also said in a letter dated Wednesday that the university’s selection of Hank Bounds as president was settled and a criminal prosecution or civil lawsuit wasn’t warranted.

Peterson’s letter was in response to a complaint filed by journalist Deena Winter of Nebraska Watchdog.

University spokeswoman Melissa Lee says officials didn’t intend to violate the law and were pleased the president’s selection was valid.

Inspector Orders Closure of 2 Wading Pools in Hastings

Posted on July 3, 2015

HASTINGS, Neb. (AP) — Concerns over a missing safety feature have prompted the closure of two wading pools in Hastings.

A state inspector closed the pools at Heartwell and Lincoln parks Monday after finding their safety vacuum release systems were removed five years ago. The systems stop water circulation if something blocks a drain.

City Parks and Recreation Director Jeff Hassenstab says the systems were removed because they were deemed unnecessary after anti-entrapment covers were installed at the pools. A previous inspector agreed to that move but a new inspector visited this summer and decided the extra safety measure was needed.

Hassenstab called it “kind of frustrating,” but says the new equipment should arrive Monday.

The pools will reopen after being cleared by the inspector.

Olivia Rae Swedberg

Posted on July 3, 2015July 5, 2015

Olivia Rae Swedberg, age 3 of North Platte, passed away Tuesday June 30, 2015 in North Platte.

Olivia was born on October 3, 2011 in North Platte to Brock and Lauressa (Whitney) Swedberg. She was a do-it-myself kind of girl; independent and strong willed, but a lover to the core. She loved to be given a job like unloading the dishwasher or helping her Dad in the garage. She touched more lives in her short time here than most people ever do. Through the gift of donation, she was the miracle that other families had been praying for.

Olivia is survived by her parents Brock and Lauressa, and sister Sophia of North Platte; grandparents Ben and Rae Jeanne Swedberg of North Platte, Jeff Whitney of Kimball and Jeri Rae (Paul) Kniep of Hershey; great grandparents Charles Putman of North Platte, Eva Swedberg of North Platte, Irene and Rex Hayes of Henderson, NE, Marcella Kniep of Byron, NE and Marilyn & Pat Sandberg of Hershey; numerous aunts, uncles and cousins; as well as other extended family members and many friends.

She was preceded in death by her great grandparents Reuben Swedberg, Janice Putman and LaVerne Kniep.

Memorials are suggested to The Olivia Swedberg Fund at the UP Credit Union and Hershey State Bank. Online condolences may be shared at www.adamsswanson.com. Olivia’s family will receive friends at a reception from 5:00 until 7:00 p.m. Tuesday July 7, 2015 at Adams and Swanson Funeral Home. Private family services will be held at a later date.

NP Man Accused of Stealing Cash, Credit Card Numbers from Motel Where He Worked

Posted on July 3, 2015July 3, 2015

A 22-year-old North Platte man is facing a felony theft charge after he allegedly ran a theft scheme at a local motel where he worked.

On June 24, an officer with the North Platte Police Department responded to the Oak Tree Inn, 451 Halligan Drive, in regards to a suspected employee theft.

The officer met with management, who alleged that over the past month, they had received several calls from prior guests indicating that their credit cards had been charged for an extra night at the Oak Tree.

According to police, management began looking into the claims and discovered that Conner Pitre, an employee, was responsible for all the transactions.

Through their investigation, police learned that, when a customer would pay cash for a room, Pitre would pocket the money. He would then allegedly use a credit card number from a different guest to pay for the room.

On July 3, officers made contact with Pitre in a parking lot in the 1100 block of South Jeffers Street and took him into custody.

It’s estimated that Pitre took between $500 and $1,000, making the crime a felony.

Pitre was jailed at the Lincoln County Detention Center.

Denver Campaign Would Allow Marijuana Use in Bars

Posted on July 3, 2015July 3, 2015

DENVER (AP) — Beer? Wine? Or weed?

A campaign is underway to ask Denver voters about allowing marijuana consumption in bars and other places that only allow people over 21.

Activists who campaigned for recreational pot legalization in Colorado have launched a petition drive to allow what they call “limited social marijuana consumption” at bars.

The activists need about 5,000 signatures to get the question on November ballots.

It would allow bars or clubs to allow marijuana use as long as patrons bring their own weed and comply with clean-air laws. That means the pot they consume would have to be edible, or if smoked, consumed on an outside patio the way cigarette smoking is regulated now.

Sponsors say the measure is needed because tourists have no legal place to consume pot.

Nebraska Man Gets Probation for Crash Death of Off-Duty Firefighter

Posted on July 3, 2015

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A 31-year-old Fremont man has been given two years of probation for the traffic death of an off-duty Omaha firefighter.

Jonathan Mumm had pleaded no contest and was convicted of misdemeanor vehicular homicide. He was sentenced Thursday in a Douglas County courtroom in Omaha.

Investigators say Mumm’s pickup struck a motorcycle driven by 37-year-old Scott Petersen around 12:20 a.m. on May 30, 2014, in western Douglas County.

Mumm must serve one day in jail in 2016 and 2017, on the anniversary of the accident, perform 120 hours of community service and pay a $1,000 fine.

Repeat Nebraska Sex Offender Gets 5 Years for Child Sex Assault

Posted on July 3, 2015July 3, 2015

BEATRICE, Neb. (AP) — A 66-year-old Beatrice man who served prison time for sexually assaulting a child more than 10 years ago has been given five years in a new case.

Duane Sanders was sentenced Thursday in Gage County District Court in Beatrice. He’d been convicted of two counts of sexual assault of a child. A 9-year-old girl had reported that Sanders had touched her inappropriately on three occasions last year.

Prosecutors initially charged Sanders with three counts but dropped one in exchange for his guilty pleas.

Sanders was convicted in Gage County in 1993 of three felony counts of sexual assault of a child.