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Omaha man sentenced to prison for trying to get pics of girl

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — An Omaha man has been sentenced to eight years in federal prison for trying to coerce a 12-year-old Georgia girl to send him sexually explicit pictures.

Federal prosecutors in Omaha say 37-year-old Jeffrey Fenn Jr. was sentenced Friday in Omaha for attempting to receive child pornography.

Investigators say he befriended the girl while playing an online video game, then began an online relationship with her over a popular messaging service. He repeatedly asked for sexually explicit pictures of her, and threatened to end the relationship if she did not comply. Police say the girl sent some suggestive photos, but refused to send sexually explicit ones.

The texts were reported to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and Fenn was arrested in Omaha last year.

Kenneth Harold “Ken” Brand

Kenneth Harold “Ken” Brand, 69, of Jefferson, Georgia, passed away Jan. 31, 2018.

Kenneth Harold Brand was born in Sutherland, a son to the late Virgil Lloyd Brand and the late Irma Ione Adee Brand. Ken graduated from the University of Nebraska and earned his master’s degree from the University of Nebraska at Kearney.

He was a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, serving in Vietnam, and was a CASA volunteer for DEFACS. Ken retired from Jackson EMC, where he served as director of technical services and was recently treasurer of the Jefferson Lions Club.

Survivors include his wife of 46 years, Alice Fisher Brand of Jefferson; daughters and son-in-law, Melanie (Perry) Sexton of Cumming, Georgia, and Stephanie McCauley of Hartwell, Georgia; sisters and brothers-in-law, Carolyn (Larry) Budler of Omaha, Shirley (Jim) Votaw of Cumming, and Cindy (Mike) Borron of Simpsonville, South Carolina; and grandchildren, Jayden McCauley, Cammeron McCauley and Grant Sexton.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to CASA in honor of Ken Brand, P.O. Box 605, Jefferson, GA 30549. Online condolences may be shared at evansfuneralhomeinc.com.

Services will be at 3 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 5, with the family receiving friends after the service, at the Chapel of Evans Funeral Home, 1350 Winder Highway, Jefferson, which is in charge of arrangements.

NP man convicted of homicide for passenger’s crash death

Samuel Wood

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. (AP) — A North Platte man has been found guilty for the death of his passenger after a collision with a semitrailer.

Court records say 41-year-old Emmett Wood was convicted last week of misdemeanor vehicular homicide after a nonjury trial in Lincoln County Court. His sentencing is set for Feb. 15.

Authorities say Wood was speeding in his pickup truck on May 11 when it struck the big rig near a truck stop. Wood’s passenger, 73-year-old Michael Torres Sr., died soon afterward at a hospital.

Wood already is serving a prison sentence of three to six years for an unrelated case of assault.

Man accused of looting ailing mother’s bank account

TECUMSEH, Neb. (AP) — A man has been accused of looting his ailing mother’s bank account and not paying her bills in southeast Nebraska.

58-year-old Gary Vaughn, of Auburn, is accused of misusing nearly $61,000 from his mother’s account. Court records say he’s charged with three felony counts of abuse of a vulnerable adult. His attorney didn’t immediately return a call Friday from The Associated Press.

Vaughn’s next court date is Feb. 14.

An arrest warrant affidavit says Vaughn has power of attorney for his 83-year-old mother and is supposed to be paying her bills. The affidavit says the facility caring for his mother is owed nearly $28,000.

Man takes plea deal for fatal Omaha shooting in parked car

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A 22-year-old man has taken a plea deal in the fatal shooting of an Omaha resident inside a parked car.

Court records say Benjamin Guevara is scheduled to be sentenced March 19. He pleaded guilty Tuesday to manslaughter and a weapons crime. Originally he was charged with first-degree murder for the death of 21-year-old Oziel Vasquez-Serrano.

The records say Guevara shot Vasquez-Serrano on May 13, pulled him from the car and left him to die.

Omaha police to get cultural, mental health training

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Omaha police officers will undergo Native American cultural sensitivity and mental health training after a mentally ill Native American man died in police custody.

29-year-old Zachary Bearheels died in June after he was shocked with a Taser multiple times, punched in the head and dragged by his ponytail.

Bearheels was a member of the Rosebud Sioux of South Dakota and also had ties to Apache and Kiowa Tribes of Oklahoma. His relatives say he had bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.

Lt. Catherine Milone says all officers will attend an hour and a half Native American cultural training and an hour and a half mental health training in June.

More than 50 members of the basic and veteran police recruit classes received Native American sensitivity training in December.

Nebraska senators advance rules for residency challenges

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska lawmakers have advanced new rules to clarify how they will investigate allegations that members of the Legislature don’t live in the districts they represent.

Senators gave the measure first-round approval on Friday with a 38-0 vote. The bill was inspired by a former legislative candidate’s claims that state Sen. Ernie Chambers doesn’t live in his north Omaha district.

John Sciara of Omaha challenged Chambers’ residency after his failed attempt to defeat the longtime senator in the 2016 election. The case against Chambers was dismissed after a legislative committee concluded that Sciara’s allegations weren’t supported by evidence.

The bill seeks to answer many of the questions that were raised during the Legislature’s review of the case.

Lawmakers confirm new Nebraska State Patrol superintendent

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska lawmakers have confirmed a new superintendent for the State Patrol despite some reservations about recent problems in the agency.

Senators voted 37-0 on Friday in favor of Col. John Bolduc, who was appointed by Gov. Pete Ricketts and sworn in for the job on Oct. 16.

Some senators raised concerns that they still don’t have detailed answers about why Bolduc’s predecessor, former Col. Brad Rice, was abruptly fired in June. Bolduc has promised to overhaul the agency and ensure all patrol members are accountable to the public.

Rice’s termination came after news surfaced that the agency had mishandled internal investigations and didn’t properly respond to possible misconduct against female recruits by a patrol doctor.

Rice was chosen following a national search for a replacement.

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