A North Platte man is behind bars, accused of sexually assaulting a 10-year-old girl.

According to Investigator John Deal, North Platte Police began an investigation into a possible sexual assault of a child on December 15.

Police say it was alleged that 59-year-old David Navarrette had sexually penetrated the girl on multiple occasions over the period of a year.

On December 18, a search warrant was served on a residence in the 600 block of North Willow.

Officers made contact with Navarrette and placed him under arrest, charging him with first-degree sexual assault of a child.

According to Deal, evidence was seized from the residence that corroborated the allegations against Navarrette.

Navarrette is being held on $50,000 cash bond.

A North Platte man is facing a felony charge after he allegedly assaulted and held his girlfriend against her will.

According to North Platte Police, officers responded to the report of an assault in the 200 block of South Bare Avenue, at around 11:29 am on December 9.

Officers met with a female victim who alleged that her boyfriend, Jeffry Sierks, had assaulted her and wouldn’t let her leave the residence.

The victim told officers that Sierks had arrived at the house and pulled her out of bed by her hair.  Police say evidence was found in the bedroom to support the allegation.

Police say Sierks then broke the victim’s cell phone so she couldn’t contact police and, when she tried to leave the residence, the victim claimed Sierks blocked the doorway and pushed her away.

Then, when the victim tried to exit through the garage of the residence, Sierks allegedly turned off the power to the residence so the overhead door could not be opened.

Eventually, the victim was able to get to a computer and contact a friend via social media.  The friend then contacted police.

Officers say when they arrived, Sierks had already left the residence and could not be located.  Officers did make contact with Sierks on the phone, but he refused to tell officers where he was or turn himself in.

On December 19, Sierks turned himself in at the Lincoln County Detention Center and was placed under arrest.

He’s been charged with domestic assault and false imprisonment.

BROKEN BOW, Neb. (AP) — A new trial date has been scheduled for a woman charged in the 2013 death of a Broken Bow toddler.

Prosecutors didn’t object last week to the requested delay by the attorney for 25-year-old Brittney Pryce. She’s pleaded not guilty to a charge of child abuse. Her trial had been set to begin Feb. 1. Now it’s scheduled to start Aug. 22 in Custer County District Court.

Authorities say 20-month-old Noah Pryce suffered a suspicious head injury in November 2013 while in a car with Pryce and her mother, Diane Hill.

Hill and Brittany Pryce were initially charged with second-degree murder. The case against Hill was dismissed in July 2014. A murder charge against Price also was dropped.

Authorities say Brittany Pryce and her husband, Richard Pryce, were Noah’s guardians.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The number of serious crashes involving drivers who were under the influence of drugs is growing in Nebraska, and officials are concerned about the trend.

Officials say 28 Nebraskans have died this year in crashes where one of the drivers had drugs in his or her system.

That’s up from 22 last year, and before that the state averaged about a dozen drug-related traffic deaths.

Increased testing might be part of why drugs are being found in more drivers, but the numbers are clearly up.

Fred Zwonechek with the Nebraska Office of Highway Safety says this is a troubling trend.

Law enforcement officials say the legalization of marijuana in Colorado has made the drug more readily available in Nebraska.