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Feds Indict Omaha Woman Accused of Selling Worthless Vouchers

dept.-of-justiceOMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Federal authorities have indicted an Omaha woman accused of selling thousands of worthless airline vouchers.

Patricia Urbanovsky was charged Thursday in U.S. District Court in Omaha on nine counts of money laundering and 16 counts of wire fraud. Her attorney, Steven Lefler, said Friday he hadn’t talked to Urbanovsky yet and couldn’t comment. She’s already facing state charges of theft by deception.

The 30-year-old Urbanovsky is the owner of Creative Creations in Omaha. Authorities say she ran a scheme through her business to sell discounted airline travel vouchers, which turned out to be worthless. Authorities say the company purchased the vouchers for airline flights at a reduced rate and resold them to the public. But hundreds of customers discovered their vouchers wouldn’t be honored because the company had overbooked flights.

Omaha Attorney Disbarred for Account Violations, False Documents

ne-supreme-courtLINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — An Omaha attorney accused of trust account violations and falsifying documents has been disbarred.

The Nebraska Supreme Court ordered the disbarment of Patricia Geringer on Friday after she voluntarily surrendered her law license in January.

The formal charges against Geringer consisted of three counts alleging that she violated her oath of office as an attorney.

The record says Geringer first filed a response to the charge in December in which she denied the allegations, and a referee was appointed on Dec. 15. A little more than three weeks later, Geringer filed to voluntarily surrender her license.

On Friday, the high court found that Geringer freely, knowingly and voluntarily admitted that she does not contest the allegations against her.

Omaha Woman to Stand Trial in Case of Child Found Frozen to Death

Chelsey Cook
Chelsey Cook

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — An Omaha woman who prosecutors say let a 4-year-old in her care freeze to death will be tried in district court.

Douglas County District Judge Greg Schatz ruled that there was sufficient evidence to send the case to trial during a preliminary hearing Thursday afternoon.

Prosecutor Molly Keane said Chelsey Cook committed child abuse resulting in death last month because she didn’t seek medical attention when 4-year-old Alicia Morrow was cold and barely breathing in the hours before she died.

Cook’s attorney, J. William Gallup, said Cook had fed and clothed the girl, took her to school and doctor’s appointments and cared for her like her own child.

Autopsy results say Alicia died Jan. 3 of hypothermia.

NP Man, 19, Accused of Having Sex with 14 YO

Jorden Snare
Jorden Snare

A 19-year-old North Platte man is facing a child sex assault charge after police say he had sex with a 14-year-old girl.

According to Investigator John Deal, an officer spoke to a woman on February 18, in regards to her daughter possibly having a sexual relationship with Jorden Snare.

The mother alleged that earlier that morning, she had found Snare hiding in her daughter’s closet, dressed only in boxer shorts.

Police conducted interviews with witnesses, the alleged victim, and Snare.

Deal said that, following the interviews, it was determined that Snare had had sexual intercourse with the girl on “several occasions.”

Snare was taken into custody and initially charged with 3rd-degree sexual assault of a child, however, after further investigation the charge was upgraded to 1st-degree sexual assault of a child, meaning there was penetration involved.

Snare was jailed at the Lincoln County Detention Center.  Jail records do not show a bond amount.

Nebraska state law prohibits anyone 19-years-old or older from having sexual intercourse with anyone under the age of 16.

If convicted, Snare faces one to 50 years in prison.

 

 

Nebraska Authorities Seize $2.4M in Suspected Drug Money

lancaster-county-sheriffLINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Eastern Nebraska authorities say they seized $2.4 million in suspected drug money from a semitrailer after a traffic stop along Interstate 80.

The Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office says deputies pulled over the semitrailer a few miles west of Lincoln around 10:30 a.m. Thursday. The office says the deputies became suspicious of the driver and his passenger and then were denied permission to search the truck. A drug dog taken to the scene alerted deputies to the odor of drugs, so the big rig was searched.

The Sheriff’s Office says heat-sealed and banded cash that smelled of marijuana was inside several pieces of luggage that were found.

The two people were arrested on suspicion of violating drug laws. Online court records don’t show that they’ve been formally charged yet.

19-Year-Old Nebraska Dad Accused of Injuring Infant Daughter

jailUPLAND, Neb. (AP) — A 19-year-old Upland man has been accused of physically abusing his 2-month-old daughter.

Online court records say Dalton Howard is charged with intentional child abuse causing injury. Online court records don’t list the name of an attorney who could comment on Howard’s behalf. Howard’s arraignment is scheduled for Monday.

The child has been hospitalized for treatment of a brain bleed and bruising on her face and torso. The child has been in state custody since Feb. 11.

Court records say the baby’s mother was in school when the baby was injured.

Nebraska Woman Who Fell Through Ceiling Gets 5 Years in Prison

Kristina Frerichs
Kristina Frerichs

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A woman who authorities say was arrested by deputies after falling through the ceiling of an adjoining Lincoln duplex unit has been sentenced to five years in prison on drug-related charges.

36-year-old Kristina Frerichs was also sentenced Thursday to two years of post-release supervision for drug possession and theft by receiving stolen property.

Deputies say they saw Frerichs through a window at her residence in December but couldn’t find her when the duplex owners let them in. Authorities say residents on the other side of the duplex soon reported that someone had fallen from the attic through the ceiling of their living room. Frerichs was found hiding at the bottom of a nearby staircase.

According to court records, Frerichs had been sought on warrants stemming from drug possession convictions.

Nebraska Senator Kills Body Armor Bill to Prove Point

senator-ernie-chambersLINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska residents who want to buy night vision goggles and body armor can rest easy: They won’t have to undergo a background check anytime soon.

The Legislature’s Judiciary Committee rejected a measure Thursday that would have required buyers to face the same federal checks used for buying a gun. Committee members voted to kill it at the request of its sponsor, Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha.

Chambers says he introduced the bill to make a point. He pointed to the recent occupation of a wildlife refuge building in Oregon by a group of armed, white protesters. He says black people have been arrested for less serious offenses based solely on intent, and military-style tactical gear demonstrates intent for violence.

USDA: Nebraska Farm Numbers Decline by 400 in 2015 to 48,700

farmlandOMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The number of farms and ranches in Nebraska declined again last year.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture said Thursday that the number of farms and ranches in the state declined 400 from the previous year to 48,700 in 2015.

The number of small farms with less than $100,000 in revenue declined 500 while the number of large farms increased by 100.

The average size of farms in Nebraska increased by 7 acres to 928 acres.

The total amount of land used for farms and ranches in Nebraska remained unchanged at 45.2 million acres.

Nebraska Police, Senators Grapple with Body Camera Policy

police-lights-redLINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A bill that would impose statewide rules for police body cameras in Nebraska is stoking a debate over how and when the recordings should be made public.

A legislative committee heard testimony Thursday on a bill that would require law enforcement agencies to adopt written policies for body cameras. The measure by Sen. Heath Mello of Omaha would allow police to withhold the footage from the public if it’s part of an investigation.

Opponents say body-worn cameras are meant for accountability, so the recordings should be publicly available. The Police Chiefs Association of Nebraska says written policies should be mandated by the Nebraska Crime Commission, not the Legislature.

Mello says he will try to reach a compromise on the bill.

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