Three North Platte teens are facing charges after a traffic stop led to the discovery of a stolen handgun.

On December 19, at around 7:25 p.m., a deputy with the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office observed a vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed on North Lake Road, near Lake Maloney.

The deputy conducted a traffic stop and, upon approaching the vehicle, smelled the odor of burnt marijuana.

The officer searched the vehicle and discovered a small amount of marijuana, four prescription pill bottles not belonging to the occupants, five Visa cards which did not belong to the occupants, multiple bottles of alcohol and a large-caliber semi-automatic handgun.

The deputy ran a check on the firearm and discovered that it had recently been reported stolen from North Platte.

The three subjects in the vehicle were placed under arrest and identified as 18-year-old Jareb Huerta, 18-year-old Jeremiah McEntire, and a 17-year-old male juvenile.

All three were transported to the Lincoln County Detention Center.

McEntire was charged with possession of a stolen firearm, possession of a deadly weapon during the commission of a felony, carrying a concealed weapon, possession of a controlled substance, possession of stolen property and several other charges.

Huerta was charged with being an accessory to a felony and two counts of minor in possession.

The juvenile was charged with possession of a stolen firearm, possession of a deadly weapon during the commission of a felony, two counts of possession of a controlled substance, possession of a financial transaction device with two or more accounts, carrying a concealed weapon and five counts of possession of stolen property.

The following day, deputies contacted the North Platte Police Department and learned that most of the recovered items had been stolen from vehicles in North Platte.

Deputies with the LCSO and NPPD investigators will continue to investigate the case, with more charges possible.

Updated:

Authorities have identified the victim of the crash as 29-year-old Constantino Megariz-Carter, of North Platte.

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One person is dead following a single-vehicle accident near Maxwell.

On December 21, at around 10:00 a.m., deputies with the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office and first-responders responded to a single-vehicle accident near the Maxwell overpass on U.S. Highway (near mile marker 190).

It was reported that a vehicle was traveling westbound when it left the roadway at the top of the overpass, slid down the south side, then rolled and struck a tree.

The lone male occupant of the vehicle was trapped and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Deputies say the man was not wearing a seatbelt and they don’t believe drugs or alcohol were involved.

The man’s name has not been released, pending the notification of family members, and the investigation is ongoing.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska lawmaker says he will continue advocating for voter identification requirements when the Legislature reconvenes next month.

Sen. John Murante of Gretna said Tuesday he will offer a package of bills that would provide different ways to enact voter ID requirements. Murante has proposed a ballot measure that would let voters decide the issue in the November 2018 election.

Murante made the announcement days after a national voting-rights activist visited Omaha to advocate against such measures. Critics say voter ID proposals are a solution in search of a problem and could disenfranchise voters. Murante is a Republican candidate for state treasurer.

Murante notes that the activist, Jason Kander, has ties to Democratic advocacy groups.

The bill package will also include legislation to modernize the state’s election equipment.

KEARNEY, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska court has overturned a judge’s decision to sentence a man to probation after he was convicted of sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl.

The Nebraska Court of Appeals on Tuesday overturned a February decision by Buffalo County District Judge Bill Wright to sentence Taylor Welty-Hackett to four years of intensive supervised probation. Welty-Hackett has been convicted of sexually assaulting the girl in 2015.

At the February sentencing hearing, Wright had called the victim the “aggressor” and said “she made the advances.” He also called for “bringing balance back into the system.”

Buffalo County Attorney Shawn Eatherton appealed the sentence.

The Court of Appeals ruled Wright’s statements about teen girls and seeking balance went beyond facts in the case.

A different judge will re-sentence Welty-Hackett.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — New U.S. Census Bureau data show Iowa and Nebraska’s populations grew slower than the national average.

Estimates released Wednesday show Iowa’s population increased to 3,145,711 as of July 1, up from 3,130,869 at the same time in 2016. That’s a growth rate of 0.47 percent.

Nebraska’s population grew to 1,920,076 during that same window, compared to 1,907,603 the previous year. That’s an increase of 0.65 percent.

The United States’ population reached 325,719,178 during that period, up from 323,405,935. That’s an increase of 0.71 percent.

The Census Bureau says Idaho was the nation’s fastest-growing state, with a population increase of 2 percent. Utah, Washington, Florida and Arizona were also among the biggest gainers.

Illinois experienced the largest population loss in terms of numbers, while Wyoming saw the largest percentage decline.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A legislative task force has released a list of goals to improve life in Whiteclay, a Nebraska village that sold massive amounts of beer near a South Dakota Indian reservation until state regulators intervened.

The report issued Wednesday calls for a new, permanent cellphone tower in the area to replace one that was vandalized and destroyed by a windstorm. It also suggests finding land for a possible treatment and detox center, a memorial for Whiteclay and additional economic development efforts.

Four stores in Whiteclay sold the equivalent of 3.5 million cans of beer annually next to South Dakota’s Pine Ridge Indian Reservation until April, when the Nebraska Liquor Control Commission voted not to renew their licenses. Whiteclay has a population of nine and no full-time law enforcement.