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Month: August 2017

Ex-youth center worker sentenced for sex contact with teen

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KEARNEY, Neb. (AP) — A former mental health practitioner at the state youth treatment center in Kearney has been sentenced to 30 days in jail and four years of probation for having sexual contact with a teen at the center.

29-year-old Samantha Halstead, of Pleasanton, was sentenced Friday in Buffalo County District Court. She pleaded no contest in July to second-degree sexual abuse involving a teen at the Youth Rehabilitation and Treatment Center.

Court records show Halstead was investigated for sexual contact with an 18-year-old male being treated at the center. Buffalo County Attorney Shawn Eatherton told the Hub she had sexual contact with the teen in her office at the center.

State law bars prison or detention center employees from having sex with anyone in custody.

Nebraska doctor, 80, back to work as part-time pediatrician

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LOUISVILLE, Neb. (AP) — A former chancellor at University of Nebraska Medical Center retired three years ago, but has returned to work part time as a pediatrician.

80-year-old Dr. Harold Maurer says he “failed retirement” in his two-month foray into doing little besides spending time with family and friends.

His wife, Beverly, says she’s ready for him to hang up his stethoscope, but he isn’t.

His schedule isn’t intense anymore. He said he often sees one to three patients a day.

When he was chancellor, Maurer raised hundreds of millions of dollars to transform the medical center’s campus. When he worked as a physician before that, he helped develop a chemotherapy-radiation regimen for a rare childhood cancer that led to fewer amputations and more lives saved.

Sargent woman pleads not guilty to theft from store

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BROKEN BOW, Neb. (AP) — A western Nebraska woman has pleaded not guilty to embezzling about $32,000 from the former Sargent convenience store where she had worked.

36-year-old Cynthia Lowry entered the plea Thursday in Custer County District Court to a count of felony theft.

Court records say Lowry “cooked” several accounts for the Whoa N’ Go in Sargent from January through July 25 last year.

Her jury trial has been set for Feb. 12.

Scientists study causes of toxic algae blooms

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LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Scientists are working to get a better understanding of what causes toxic algae to flourish in some lakes.

The Environmental Protection Agency says it will work with state officials in Nebraska and Kansas to identify sources of water pollution and assess the toxic algae blooms.

When algae flares up in lakes, health officials restrict access because contact with the water can cause illness.

The EPA says it can be challenging for environmental managers to monitor sources of E. coli and algae blooms.

The research will use an advanced monitoring technology to find sources of fecal contamination in rivers and streams in Nebraska.

In Kansas, researchers will work to identify the species of bacteria that produce toxins and promote algae blooms.

Dove hunting season to begin next month in Nebraska

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LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Dove hunting season is set to begin next month in Nebraska.

The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission says hunters can hunt doves from Sept. 1-Oct. 31, with daily bag and possession limits of 15 and 45, respectively.

Shooting hours run from 30 minutes before sunrise until sunset. The commission says bag limits are for mourning, white-winged and Eurasian collared doves in aggregate.

Nebraska residents 16 years old and older and all nonresidents are required to get a valid Nebraska small game hunting permit, habitat stamp and Harvest Information Program number. HIP numbers are free online at OutdoorNebraska.gov/hip or at any Game and Parks office.

NPCC volleyball finishes 2-2 at Southeast CC Tournament

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Beatrice – The North Platte Community College Lady Knights volleyball split games on both days of the Southeast Invitational Tournament, finishing 2-2 on the weekend. They were defeated in the first match on Friday by Highland Community College 3-0. In the second match on Friday, the Lady Knights defeated Cloud County 3-1.

On Saturday, they were defeated in three sets by Colby Community College. In their final match of the tournament, the Lady Knights swept Southeastern Iowa Community College in three games.

In the match against Highland, they were defeated 25-18, 25-22, and 25-18. Luisa Hernandez led the Lady Knights in kills with eight, followed by Shaylee Johnson and Aly Camacho, who each had six kills. Carlie Wytulka had 27 set assists and Carly Moss had nine defensive digs to lead North Platte. Camacho also had two solo and eight assisted blocks.

In match two against Cloud County, the Lady Knights won 25-23, 20-25, 25-21, and 26-24. Neci Sundquist had 11 kills, while Camacho, Hernandez, and Johnson each had eight kills in the match. Wytulka had 44 set assists. Antonya Schaffert had18 defensive digs. Johnson also contributed three solo and five assisted blocks to lead the Lady Knights.

On Saturday, in the first match against Colby, the Lady Knights were defeated in three sets 25-16, 25-17, and 25-12. Hernandez led the Lady Knights with five kills, Wytulka had 16 set assists, and Schaffert had five defensive digs and five assisted blocks.

In match two on Saturday, the Lady Knights bounced back to defeat t Southeastern Iowa in three sets, 27-25, 25-22, and 25-19. Hernandez had seven kills, Wytulka contributed 24 set assists, Schaffert had seven defensive digs and Camacho had two solo and eight assisted blocks to lead the Lady Knights.

The Lady Knights are now 2-3 on the season.
They will return to action on Wednesday, August 30 when they host Northeastern Junior College at 7 pm at the McDonald – Belton Gymnasium.

Donor gives kits to OPD to protect officers from overdose

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OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — An anonymous donor has given more than $10,000 to the Omaha Police Department for 150 naloxone kits to help protect officers from accidental opioid overdoses.

The donation was announced by police this week.

Deputy Chief Greg Gonzalez says the kits, which are made of two-dose nasal spray, will be given to all police dog handlers and distributed among patrol officers, detective, and school resource officers.

Officers can use the spray if they suspect an opioid overdose or if their fellow officers or trained drug dogs come into contact with the powerful powdered drug fentanyl, carfentanil or heroin.

Police and first responders around the country have reported accidental exposure and, in some cases, overdose after coming in contact with powerful opioids while on the job.

Ex-bank worker in Lincoln gets prison for embezzlement

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LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A former bank employee has been sentenced to prison for embezzling more than $74,000 from a 72-year-old woman’s account.

25-year-old Holliann Casey, of Lincoln, was sentenced Thursday in Lancaster County District Court to three to eight years in prison. She had pleaded no contest to theft by unlawful taking.

A Pinnacle Bank customer reported unauthorized transactions on her account a year ago. Investigators say the woman first took her suspicions to Casey, who then tried to conceal the discrepancy by shifting funds from various accounts.

But an audit found that Casey had withdrawn $74,150 in cash from the woman’s account without her knowledge.

Bank officials reimbursed the woman for the loss.

Ex-school superintendent, wife under federal indictment

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OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A former Santee Community Schools superintendent and his wife are under federal indictment, accused of theft.

A federal grand jury on Thursday indicted both 61-year-old Paul Sellon and his wife, 54-year-old Sue Ann Sellon on suspicion of theft of government money between 2010 and 2014 and making false statements to the U.S. Education Department. Paul Sellon is also accused of receipt of a bribe and 10 counts of wire fraud.

Paul Sellon had already been charged in federal court with theft of $314,000 from a federal program, but a judge allowed him to withdraw his guilty plea earlier this month. The judge expressed concerns about the plea agreement where the government agreed not to file charges against Sellon’s wife if he pleaded guilty.

Body found in burning car in western Nebraska field

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MORRILL, Neb. (AP) — Western Nebraska sheriff’s officials are investigating after a body was found in a burning vehicle near Morrill.

The Scotts Bluff County Sheriff’s Office says in a news release that firefighters responding Friday night to a burning vehicle in a field about three miles south of Morrill found a body inside once they had extinguished the flames.

Sheriff’s investigators say the identity of the body has not been confirmed.

Officials say the vehicle has been removed to a secure indoor facility and that the Nebraska State Fire Marshal’s office is helping in the investigation.

Authorities say they also have been in contact with the family of a person from Morrill who was reported missing Saturday morning.

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