An Indiana couple is lodged in the Lincoln County Detention Center following a traffic stop in North Platte last night.

At around 7:22 p.m., on July 25, an officer on patrol observed a 2002 Ford Escape run the red light at Leota and Dewey Streets.

The officer conducted a traffic stop in the Kwik Stop parking lot, 1421 South Dewey Street, and made contact with the driver, 27-year-old Melissa Sancillo.

The officer requested identification from a male passenger in the vehicle, who handed him a Social Security card.

As the officer attempted to confirm the identities of the vehicle’s occupants, the passenger took off running.  After a short foot pursuit, the officer deployed his taser and was able to apprehend the man, later identified as 42-year-old Troy O’Brian, a name that was different than that which appeared on the Social Security card.

Investigator John Deal says officers believed that Sancillo was under the influence of alcohol, and administered a series of field-sobriety tests, which Deal said confirmed their suspicions.

Further investigation revealed that the Escape had been stolen in Indiana.

Both Sancillo and O’Brian were transported to the Lincoln County Detention Center.  Sancillo was charged with driving under the influence of liquor and possession of a stolen vehicle.  O’Brian was charged with obstructing the police, possession of stolen property and criminal impersonation.

A search of Indiana arrest records showed that O’Brian was arrested in Gary, Indiana on July 13 and charged with false informing and resisting law enforcement with bodily injury.

Deal says the duo gave a few stories about where the were going and where they were from.

The vehicle was impounded.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The state of Nebraska won’t appeal a judge’s decision to bar a Colorado company from using a Nebraska Panhandle well to dispose of salty groundwater and chemical-laden fracking wastewater that result from oil and gas operations.

The judge ruled last month that the Nebraska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission exceeded its authority last year when it approved a request by Terex Energy Corp., of Broomfield, Colorado. The company wanted to dispose of wastewater produced in Colorado and Wyoming and eventually Nebraska.

The Nebraska attorney general’s office said in a news release Tuesday that it disagrees with the judge’s decision but also said recent legislation has addressed the judge’s concerns.

Signed by the governor in March, the legislation refocuses the agency’s role in promoting health, safety and protection of natural resources.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A $5.5 million grant will provide four new mobile classrooms to help improve training for emergency responders in rural parts of Nebraska over the next three years.

The University of Nebraska Medical Center said Tuesday that the grant from the Leona and Harry Helmsley foundation will pay for four of the $500,000 trucks to be stationed across the state.

The trucks have advanced simulators inside that offer hands-on training on advanced techniques. The manikins used in the simulations cost almost $900,000.

Nebraska is the fourth state to receive a grant from the Helmsley Foundation for the trucks after South Dakota, North Dakota and Montana.

Micheal Dwyer with the Nebraska State Volunteer Firefighters Association says this training will be especially important in rural areas because they rely heavily on volunteers.

The Buffalo County Sheriff’s Office says the body of a man found in the Platte River in early-June has been positively identified.

Shortly after 4:00 p.m., on June 10, law enforcement was called to the north channel of the Platte River near the Bassway Strip Wildlife Mangement area, near the Minden exit on Interstate 80.

Authorities recovered the body of an adult male who was said to have been in the water for “quite some time.”  At the time, investigators were not able to establish the identity of the man, known as John Doe 16B.  An autopsy was conducted and concluded that the cause of death was drowning, with no evidence of foul play.

Law enforcement reached out to the public through social media outlets and media resources throughout the region.

On July 26, Captain Bob Anderson says the BCSO received numerous tips.  Anderson said that through this information, the man has been identified as 40-year-old David T. Neal.  Anderson said Neal was originally from Iowa but had also lived in Sterling, Colorado.

According to Anderson, Neal was last seen in the Kearney area on May 9.  Investigators learned that Neal had purchased a raft and was observed near the Platte River.

It is unknown what his destination was.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say a woman fatally injured in an Omaha house explosion was a property inspector sent to check its condition after a tenant was evicted.

Police say 30-year-old Clara Bender died after being taken to Nebraska Medical Center. The blast occurred around 12:15 p.m. Monday in Omaha’s Benson neighborhood. A 46-year-old woman who lives next door and a 14-year-old boy also were hospitalized.

The explosion leveled the house and heavily damaged four adjacent homes.

Authorities say Bender worked for Certified Property Management. Company President Jeremy Aspen says Bender was married to another of his employees.

Police and fire investigators are trying to find out what caused the explosion.

A North Platte man is facing felony charges following a disturbance in the Platte River Mall parking lot on Sunday.

According to North Platte Police, at around 12:57 a.m., police responded to the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office on the report of an assault.

It was reported that a man and woman were in a parked vehicle on the west side of the mall, when the woman’s husband, 35-year-old Nathan Coco, pulled up in another vehicle and blocked them in.

Police say the victims reported that Coco was very upset, approached the vehicle and produced a handgun from his waistband. Investigators say Coco pointed the gun at the couple and began making threats.

Following a verbal argument, the female reported that she attempted to exit the vehicle.  At that time, Coco allegedly pushed her down and kneed her in the ribs.

The woman told police that she got back into the vehicle, and Coco hit her in the face with the butt of his gun.

The couple was able to get away, and the male drove to the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office.

Investigators say the woman had visible injuries that corroborated her account of the incident.

Deputies with the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office located Coco at Lake Maloney and placed him under arrest.

He was transported to the Lincoln County Detention Center and jailed on charges of felony terroristic threats and use of a weapon to commit a felony.

Deputies recovered the handgun allegedly used in the incident.