February 2016 – Page 7 – North Platte Post Archive

James “Jimbo” R. Lyons

Posted on February 24, 2016

James “Jimbo” R. Lyons, 54, of North Platte, passed away Feb. 22, 2016 at Great Plains Health. He was born Feb. 23, 1961 to Wilford A. and Roberta (Garrard) Lyons, Jr in Alliance, NE. Jimbo graduated from Papillion High School in Omaha and went on to serve in the United States Army. After his service he worked as a self-employed carpenter in the North Platte area. He is survived by his father, Bill Lyons of Denver, his siblings Brian (Peggy) Bayne of North Platte, Tina Lyons of Shreveport, LA and Kathy Lyons of Post Falls, ID; uncles, Randy and Jim Copley; aunts, Marilyn (Ed) Maginnis of Grand Island, NE and Joyce (Gordon) Koch of Grand Junction, CO; nephews and niece, Trevor and Bobbi Jo of North Platte and Brain and Cody of Simi Valley, CA; two half-sisters, Melanie and Dawn Lyons; and a step sister, Lina (Mark) Hauser. He was preceded in death by his mother. Online condolences may be shared at www.carpentermemorial.com. Cremation was chosen. Services will be 4:00 p.m. Thursday, February 25, 2016 at Carpenter Memorial Chapel with Pastor John Stone officiating. Inurnment will be at a later date. Carpenter Memorial Chapel is in charge of arrangements.

Number of Crude Oil Trains Declined Last Year as Prices Fell

Posted on February 24, 2016

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Freight railroads delivered 17 percent fewer carloads of crude oil last year after oil prices collapsed.

The Association of American Railroads said Wednesday 410,249 carloads of crude oil were carried across the United States last year. That’s down from 493,126 carloads in 2014.

But the number of crude oil carloads remains well above the 9,500 carloads railroads hauled in 2008 before the boom took off in the Bakken region of North Dakota and Montana.

Oil prices have been hovering around $30 per barrel instead of the prices above $100 that were common a couple years ago.

Tank cars of crude oil have been involved in several fiery derailments in recent years. The worst one killed 47 people in 2013 and heavily damaged the Canadian town of Lac Megantic, Quebec.

Lincoln Man Gets 20-25 Years for Molesting Girls for Years

Posted on February 24, 2016

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A 67-year-old Lincoln man accused of molesting five girls over several years has been given 20 to 25 years in prison.

Online court records say the man was sentenced Tuesday in Lancaster County District Court. The records say he pleaded no contest and was convicted on two counts of child sexual assault. Prosecutors dropped four other counts in return for his pleas.

The Associated Press is not using the man’s name, in order to protect the girls’ privacy.

A court document says he molested the girls between 1997 and 2015 and that the youngest was 3 when the assaults began.

Omaha Police, Firefighters Train for Mass Casualty Events

Posted on February 24, 2016

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Omaha firefighters are training in body armor so they can help police with crime scenes when they’re needed to save lives.

Omaha’s fire and police departments have teamed up to form a “rescue task force” to simultaneously respond in the event of a mass shooting or another situation with multiple victims.

The training began in January and will continue through the end of March. Nearly every firefighter and police officer will complete the training, which goes toward their state-mandated continuing education requirements.

Forty firefighters and police officers went through four hours of physical training and classroom education Tuesday. Training included learning how to apply tourniquets to themselves and others, as well as practicing going into a volatile situation with protective vests and helmets.

Former Husker Team Doctor Gets Probation in Crash Case

Posted on February 24, 2016

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A former doctor for the Nebraska football team has been given probation on convictions stemming from Lincoln crashes last summer when his 6-year-old child was in the back seat.

53-year-old Scott Strasburger was given a year of probation and fined $750 Tuesday. Strasburger had pleaded no contest and was convicted of driving under the influence of cocaine and leaving the scene of an accident. No one was injured.

Police say Strasburger collided with another vehicle and then crashed into a parked vehicle last June. The driver of the first vehicle told police she recognized Strasburger and suspected he was high on drugs.

Strasburger’s medical license was suspended in 2014 on allegations that he’d showed up impaired at a Lincoln surgical center.

Driver Died in Bellevue Freeway Collision, Authorities Say

Posted on February 24, 2016

BELLEVUE, Neb. (AP) — Officials have reopened Kennedy Freeway in Bellevue after investigating a fatal collision.

The accident occurred around 2:50 a.m. Wednesday, forcing closure of the freeway in both directions between Chandler and Cornhusker roads. Commute traffic was rerouted off the freeway, also known as U.S. Highway 75.

The Sarpy County Sheriff’s Office says a sport utility vehicle was spotted heading south in the northbound lanes before it collided with a northbound semitrailer. The SUV driver died. The driver hasn’t been identified, but authorities say the SUV had Iowa plates. The semi driver wasn’t injured.

Nebraska Democratic Caucus Gives Party Clout in Red State

Posted on February 24, 2016

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska’s March 5 Democratic caucus brings with it a chance for the state’s Democrats to influence who will get the party’s presidential nomination for 2016.

That influence is a welcomed change for Democrats whose votes may often seem to count for little in Nebraska. No Democrats hold statewide office and only one holds a seat among the state’s five-member congressional delegation.

Nebraska Democratic Party Chairman Vince Powers says the caucus — the third since the party’s first in 2008 — offers state Democrats a chance for their pick to be relevant, as opposed to voting in a May primary after the presidential nomination has been decided.

Former U.S. Senator and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders are locked in a tight race for the Democratic nomination.

Driver Dies After South Dakota Chase That Ended in Nebraska

Posted on February 24, 2016

CHADRON, Neb. (AP) — A police chase that began in South Dakota ended with a fatal accident in Nebraska.

The crash occurred just before 4 a.m. Tuesday in Dawes County. County Attorney Vance Haug (howg) says a South Dakota sheriff’s deputy began chasing a vehicle that raced east after being parked on U.S. Highway 18 east of Oelrichs (OHL’-rihks), South Dakota. Oglala Sioux officers soon took over and followed south onto state Highway 41, crossing into Nebraska on Slim Buttes Road.

Haug says the vehicle suddenly reversed course and headed north. It struck a tribal police cruiser, injuring the officer, and missed another cruiser. The vehicle went out of control and crashed, catching fire. Two passengers were rescued and taken to hospitals. The driver died at the scene. Their names haven’t been released.

Lincoln Man Gets Jail Time for Knocking Over Headstones

Posted on February 24, 2016

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Lincoln man has been sentenced to 300 days in jail for pushing headstones off of their bases at Wyuka Cemetery in 2014.

19-year-old Chase Dill was also ordered to pay $800 in restitution on Tuesday. He pleaded no contest to criminal mischief and attempted failure to appear.

Authorities say the cemetery’s superintendent called police on Sept. 5, 2014, after spotting a man pushing headstones off their bases. Police say the man had chipped the bottom of three headstones, broke one in half and pushed two concrete flower pots from their bases.

US Attorney Issues Statement on Huge Nebraska Drug Round-Up

Posted on February 24, 2016February 24, 2016

United States Attorney for the District of Nebraska, Deborah R. Gilg, announced today that she will host a press conference, along with several other law enforcement officials, to announce the arrests of several individuals involved in a Methamphetamine conspiracy investigation in Central and Western Nebraska, and Northeastern Colorado.

The joint operation, led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, included investigators from the Cooperative Operation for Drug Enforcement (CODE) Drug Task Force, Western Nebraska Intelligence & Narcotics Group (WING), and the Central Nebraska Drug and Safe Streets Task Force (CNDSSTF), and Colorado law enforcement authorities.

This year-long operation resulted in the federal indictment of sixty-three individuals for Distribution of Controlled Substance, Possession of Controlled Substance with Intent to Distribute and Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance.

“This is an incredible effort involving nearly thirty law enforcement agencies”, said U.S. Attorney Deborah Gilg, “The coordination and cooperation in this investigation is a tremendous tribute to the selfless dedication we see time and time again with our law enforcement agencies.” “Two years ago we were gathered in North Platte to honor many of these same law enforcement officers who were being recognized with an award from the High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA). That HIDTA award, from a case which began in 2012, ironically spun off into this drug conspiracy involving this operation.”

Nebraska Law Enforcement Agencies involved in the operation/investigation

Alliance Police Department
Buffalo County Sheriff’s Office
Central City Police Department
Cheyenne County Sheriff’s Office
Cozad Police Department
Dawson County Sheriff’s Office
Deuel County Sheriff’s Office
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Gering Police Department
Grand Island Police Department
Hall County Sheriff’s Office
Homeland Security Investigations
Kearney Police Department
Lexington Police Department
Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office
Nebraska State Patrol
North Platte Police Department
Ogallala Police Department
Perkins County Sheriff’s Office
Red Willow County Sheriff’s Office
Scottsbluff Police Department
Scotts Bluff County Sheriff’s Office
Sidney Police Department
The United States Marshal’s Service
Webster County Sheriff’s Office

Colorado Law Enforcement Agencies involved in the operation/investigation

Federal Bureau of Investigation – (Denver Office)
Holyoke, Colorado Police Department
Sedgwick County, Colorado Sheriff’s Office
United States Attorney’s Office District of Colorado

The US Attorney’s Office will hold a Press Conference in North Platte on Friday. Check back for more information.