BEATRICE, Neb. (AP) — A 52-year-old Beatrice man convicted of strangulation has been given three years in prison.

Leon Williams was sentenced Wednesday in Gage County District Court. Williams had pleaded no contest to the charge. Prosecutors dropped a charge of domestic assault in exchange for Williams’ plea.

A court document says his fiancée told an officer on Nov. 2 that Williams had been drinking when he forced her down on a bed and put his hands on her face and neck. She grabbed a hammer in an attempt to get free, and he released her to grab it and throw it in a corner of the bedroom.

WAYNE, Neb. (AP) — A 32-year-old Wayne woman has pleaded not guilty to child abuse and child pornography charges.

The woman entered her pleas Wednesday in Wayne County District Court. Her trial is scheduled to begin April 11.

She was arrested in December. Nebraska State Patrol investigators allege the woman “traded or provided to another visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct with a child.” The child is 3 or 4 years old.

To protect the child’s privacy, The Associated Press is not using the woman’s name.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — University of Nebraska-Lincoln fraternity members accused in the alcohol death of another member have pleaded no contest to lesser offenses.

According to court records, 20-year-old Thomas Trueblood, 23-year Ross Reynolds and 23-year-old Cory Foland each pleaded no contest Wednesday to misdemeanor alcohol procurement charges.

Eighteen-year-old Clayton Real was found dead at the FarmHouse Fraternity house in 2014. Affidavits show he died of acute alcohol intoxication. Affidavits in the case say fraternity members threw a party the night before and provided alcohol to underage attendees, including Real.

The three men were initially charged in 2014 with felony counts of procuring alcohol for a minor resulting in death. They each face up to a year in jail. Their sentencing hearing is set for April 25.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A county judge in Omaha has removed himself from a murder trial involving a former doctor accused of killing four people with ties to an Omaha medical school.

Douglas County District Judge Duane Dougherty removed himself from Anthony Garcia’s murder trial due to health reasons during a Wednesday afternoon court hearing.

Judge Gary Randall will now be assigned to the case.

Garcia is charged with first-degree murder in the 2008 deaths of Thomas Hunter, the 11-year-old son of Creighton University pathologist William Hunter, and Shirlee Sherman, the family’s housekeeper, as well as the May 2013 deaths of Creighton pathologist Roger Brumback and his wife, Mary.

His trial was previously set to begin on April 4 but will likely be delayed.

COLUMBUS, Neb. (AP) — The Columbus City Council has unanimously approved a measure to cut down on youth’s exposure to tobacco use and secondhand smoke.

The policy, which isn’t backed by potential legal ramifications or fines, places a tobacco-free designation on park areas where children are frequently present.

These spots include playgrounds, picnic shelters, athletic fields and courts, concession stands and spectator viewing areas.

The local health department will provide signs for tobacco-free areas, and the city will rely on citizens’ good conscience and peer pressure to enforce the policy.

Councilman Terry Reardon says that the policy is a way for citizens to be respectful of one another without adding a burden to the local police department.

Health department officials say 18 other Nebraska communities have similar policies.