December 2017 – Page 3 – North Platte Post Archive

SkyWest approved for subsidized service to Kearney airport

Posted on December 28, 2017

KEARNEY, Neb. (AP) — Federal authorities have approved SkyWest Airlines as the subsidized service provider for the Kearney airport, but flights won’t begin until fall.

City Manager Mike Morgan announced the U.S. Transportation Department decision on Tuesday. He says the company will use 50-seat jets and operate under the United Express flag for Kearney travelers to and from Denver.

First, though, reconstruction of Kearney Regional Airport’s main runway must be finished. The $12 million project is 90 percent federally paid and is expected to be completed by Sept. 1.

SkyWest also was selected to serve North Platte and Scottsbluff airports, replacing PenAir.

Kearney hasn’t had commercial passenger service since Sept. 10, when Anchorage, Alaska-based PenAir halted flights to some communities in Kansas and Nebraska after filing a bankruptcy reorganization plan.

Sparks from wood-burning stove blamed for rural home blaze

Posted on December 28, 2017

SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb. (AP) — A man has been treated for smoke inhalation after a western Nebraska fire that was blamed on sparks from a wood-burning stove.

Firefighters were dispatched around 2 a.m. Wednesday to the rural home on the northwest side of Scottsbluff. Rural Fire Department Capt. Paul Reisig says the sparks caught carpet and boxes near the stove on fire. He says the stove door hadn’t been closed properly.

Reisig says the two occupants used water and an extinguisher to battle the flames until firefighters arrived. One of the occupants was taken to a hospital for treatment.

Authorities say ex-Omaha officer accidentally shot himself

Posted on December 28, 2017

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say a former Omaha police officer accidentally shot himself at a gun range.

The shooting occurred Saturday at Inner 10 Weapons and Training in north Omaha. Police say video at the indoor range shows the shooting was accidental.

The man was taken to Nebraska Medical Center, where he had surgery. Authorities identified him as 70-year-old Langston Farrish, who left the force in 1998. He was listed in fair condition Wednesday.

Report cites concerns about Nebraska child welfare sex abuse

Posted on December 27, 2017

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A state inspector general is voicing concerns about the state’s handling of sexual abuse cases in Nebraska’s child welfare and juvenile justice systems.

The Inspector General of Nebraska Child Welfare issued a report Wednesday that found some child sex abuse allegations were not properly reported or screened for investigation.

The report also says the state’s child welfare workforce isn’t adequately prepared to prevent or respond to sexual abuse cases in the system. Similar problems were found with out-of-home placements in foster homes and residential facilities.

Inspector General Julie Rogers says her office found cases where children who reported sexual abuse were ignored or dismissed because adults incorrectly assumed the children were doing so to misbehave.

The investigation reviewed 50 substantiated sex abuse cases over a three-year period.

Omaha homicide victim was picking up sister from home

Posted on December 27, 2017

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The Latest on a triple slaying in Nebraska (all times local):

5:40 p.m.

Nebraska police say a man suspected of killing his parents and niece has been arrested in Tennessee, the same state he fled to after shooting his wife in 1998.

Omaha police confirm that 46-year-old John Dalton Jr. was taken into custody Wednesday by the U.S. Marshals Service in Jackson, Tennessee. He’s suspected in the Tuesday night shooting deaths of his parents and his 18-year-old niece in Omaha.

The teenager’s father tells the Omaha World-Herald that his daughter had gone to her grandparents’ house to pick up her sister and a plate of food. He says his daughter’s car was still running when authorities arrived, and that her sister ran to a neighbor’s house saying: “They shot my family.”

The victims were 70-year-old John Dalton Sr., 65-year-old Jean Dalton and 18-year-old Leonna Dalton-Phillip.

John Dalton Jr. went to prison following the death of his wife in 1998. He was paroled in 2010.

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3:45 p.m.

Authorities say they have located an Omaha man suspected of killing his parents and a niece. The man previously served time in prison for the death of his wife.

Tennessee news station WBBJ-TV reports that 46-year-old John Dalton Jr. was taken into custody on Wednesday along Interstate 40 in north Jackson. The U.S. Marshals Service says Dalton was captured without incident.

Dalton is wanted on a first-degree murder felony warrant for the shootings of his parents, 70-year-old John Dalton Sr. and 65-year-old Jean Dalton, and his 18-year-old niece, Leonna Dalton-Phillip.

Online court records indicate that John Dalton Jr. served prison time for manslaughter in the 1998 death of his wife, Shannon Dalton. He was paroled in 2010.

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10:45 a.m.

Police say a murder warrant has been issued for an Omaha man with a prison record for killing his wife. He’s now suspected of killing his parents and a niece.

The warrant lists a charge of first-degree murder against 46-year-old John Dalton Jr., who remained a fugitive Wednesday.

Police say officers responding Tuesday to a report of shootings found the bodies of 70-year-old John Dalton Sr., 65-year-old Jean Dalton and 18-year-old Leonna Dalton-Phillip. Police say the Daltons are the parents of John Dalton Jr. and that Dalton-Phillip is his niece.

Court records say John Dalton Jr. made a deal with prosecutors and was imprisoned after pleading guilty to manslaughter and other crimes for the 1998 death of Shannon Dalton. Prison records say he was paroled in 2010.

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10 a.m.

Court records say an Omaha man sought as a person of interest in the slayings of his parents and a niece served prison time for the 1998 homicide of his wife then.

The records say 46-year-old John Dalton Jr. made a deal with prosecutors and was imprisoned after pleading guilty to manslaughter and other crimes for the death of Shannon Dalton. Prison records say he was paroled in 2010.

Police said Wednesday that officers responding to a report of Tuesday’s shootings found the bodies of 70-year-old John Dalton, 65-year-old Jean Dalton and 18-year-old Leonna Dalton-Phillip. Police say the Daltons are the parents of John Dalton Jr. and that Dalton-Phillip is his niece.

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5:30 a.m.

Authorities say three people have been killed inside a northeast Omaha home.

Officers responding to a report of a shooting found the bodies around 8 p.m. Tuesday. Police have not released the victims’ names or provided any details about them.

Authorities are seeking 46-year-old John Dalton Jr. as a person of interest. Police say he owns the home and is related to one of the victims

9 taken to hospital after eastern Nebraska house fire

Posted on December 27, 2017

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say nine people were taken to the hospital after an eastern Nebraska house fire.

None of the people had life-threatening injuries. Lincoln Fire and Rescue Battallion Chief Jeremy Gegg says firefighters responded to the blaze in northeast Lincoln Wednesday morning.

The fire was reported at 5:20 a.m. Investigators believe the fire began in the basement and spread throughout the home. All 13 people who had been staying at the house at the time were evacuated.

The fire caused at least $100,000 to the home and $75,000 to its contents. Fire investigators are still trying to determine the cause.

NSP Troooper assaulted in Plainview incident

Posted on December 27, 2017December 27, 2017

One man was arrested after assaulting a Nebraska State Trooper outside a home in Plainview Tuesday evening.

The incident occurred around 5:00 p.m. at a residence at 616 N. West Street, in Plainview. Trooper Brandon Viterna went to the residence to follow-up with a woman on a previous car accident. When he arrived at the home, Trooper Viterna was confronted by a man outside the home.

The man, identified as Billy Ray Hoscheit, 52, reached into a vehicle, pulled out a machete and continued yelling at the trooper. Hoscheit then put the machete back into the car and approached the trooper. Trooper Viterna pushed him away, but Hoscheit charged again leading to a physical confrontation. At that time, Hoscheit struck Trooper Viterna in the face.

Trooper Viterna called for back-up and additional officers from the Plainview Police Department, Pierce County Sheriff’s Office, and Nebraska State Patrol (NSP) arrived at the scene. Hoscheit went inside the house and locked the door. After attempting to get Hoscheit to voluntarily surrender, officers made entry into the house. A second struggle ensued in which Hoscheit was taken into custody.

After being taken into custody, Hoscheit began complaining of chest pains and was transported to the Plainview Hospital where he was evaluated and released. NSP arrested Hoscheit for Assault on an Officer, Resisting Arrest, Obstruction, and Disobeying a Lawful Order. He was lodged in Pierce County Jail.

Trooper Viterna was evaluated and released from the Plainview Hospital.

Nebraska eases scoring requirements for future teachers

Posted on December 27, 2017

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska officials are easing scoring on a test for future teachers so more applicants can pass.

The applicants can now pass if the sum of their scores is high enough, instead of having separate high scores in math, reading, and writing.

The state adopted the Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators test three years ago to screen applicants for teacher-education programs. It’s typically taken during a student’s sophomore year.

The three-part test is designed to measure a student’s knowledge, skills and ability deemed important in a beginning teacher.

Nebraska State Board of Education member, Rachel Wise, says the change to composite scoring won’t reduce teacher quality. She says it will provide more flexibility.

NP man accused of hitting girlfriend with tray, punching, choking her

Posted on December 27, 2017

A 28-year-old North Platte man is facing a felony charge after he allegedly assaulted his girlfriend.

On December 26, at around 5:27 p.m., an officer with the North Platte Police department met with a 38-year-old female regarding an alleged assault.

The woman told the officer that she and her boyfriend, Christopher Schirmer, were living at the Knights Inn.

She reported that on December 23, Schirmer struck her in the side of her face/neck with a tray. Investigator John Deal says the woman had a visible cut on her neck, consistent with what she was reporting. Schirmer also allegedly head-butted her and hit her in the face.

Then, on December 25, the victim alleged that Schirmer grabbed her by the throat and cut off her breathing, then punched her in the stomach.

Deal says the victim was able to remove herself from the situation and contact the police.

An officer was able to locate Schirmer in the Great Plains Health parking lot and place him under arrest.

He was jailed at the Lincoln County Detention Center and charged with domestic assault and felony strangulation.

Appeals court won’t revive lawsuit against ex-patrol leader

Posted on December 27, 2017

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A three-judge federal appeals court panel won’t revive a lawsuit filed against the Nebraska State Patrol leader fired earlier this year.

Todd Steckelberg, of Omaha, had appealed dismissal of his lawsuit against Brad Rice, whom Gov. Pete Ricketts fired amid allegations that patrol leaders mishandled internal investigations.

Steckelberg was a trooper for more than 25 years before retiring last year. His lawsuit alleged Rice created a hostile work environment and passed over Steckelberg for promotions.

The federal judge who dismissed the case said Steckelberg’s allegations weren’t supported by the facts. The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel said in a decision issued Tuesday that further discussion of the case “would have no precedential value.”

Steckelberg’s lawyer says another appeal is likely.