OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska Supreme Court on Friday disbarred an already-suspended attorney who played a key defense role for a former doctor convicted of killing four people with ties to an Omaha medical school.

Jeremy Jorgenson, 44, violated state law and attorney rules of conduct by continuing to make filings and practice law after his 2017 suspension, the high court found. It said he also failed to inform clients of his suspension or return their money.

Jorgenson had blamed depression and alcohol abuse for his failings, the high court said, but noted he “did not present any evidence beyond his own testimony that he had depression and alcohol abuse issues and that he participated in group meetings.”

A working phone number for Jorgenson could not be found Friday.

His disbarment is the latest in a string of troubles Jorgenson has faced since agreeing in 2016 to help represent Anthony Garcia in the former doctor’s first-degree murder case .

Garcia was convicted months later of killing the 11-year-old son and a housekeeper of Creighton University faculty member William Hunter in 2008 and killing pathology doctor Roger Brumback and his wife in 2013. Prosecutors said Garcia blamed Hunter and Brumback for his 2001 firing from Creighton’s pathology residency program. Garcia was sentenced last year to death.

Jorgenson saw his Nebraska law license suspended indefinitely last February for missing oral arguments before the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in 2016 and for failing to promptly respond to questions about a client complaint. In both instances, Jorgenson partly blamed his transgressions on the onus of handling the Garcia case.

But Jorgenson’s role was arguably minimal, as he merely served as a sponsor for the Chicago law firm representing Garcia. Nebraska law allows out-of-state attorneys to practice in Nebraska, as long as they appear with a Nebraska attorney. Following a series of conflicts and reprimands against the Chicago firm, the Nebraska lawyers who had been sponsoring them bowed out. That’s when Jorgenson and his partner stepped in to sponsor Garcia’s legal team.

Following Jorgenson’s suspension last year, he pleaded no contest to two counts of misdemeanor child abuse and witness tampering involving his wife’s 7-year-old son. Prosecutors say that after the boy threw a toy, Jorgenson picked the boy up by his shirt collar and dropped him. One of the boy’s wrists was broken. Investigators say he then instructed the boy and mother to lie to hospital staff about how the injury had occurred.

Jorgenson is set to be sentenced in that case next week and faces up to a year in jail on each count.

GRETNA, Neb. (AP) — Eastern Nebraska officials say a Gretna husband and wife who run a glass pipe shop have been arrested after the shop and their homes were raided.

The Sarpy County Sheriff’s Office says deputies served a warrant Thursday night at NE-Thing Smokin’ Glass Shop in Gretna and found a pound of marijuana, a pound of THC wax, psychedelic mushrooms, several ounces of hashish and three loaded handguns.

Authorities say a subsequent search of the couple’s home turned up a marijuana growing operation, with nine mature plants, processed marijuana, grow lights and equipment to make THC wax.

Officials say two children were at the home when it was searched. In addition to possession with intent to deliver charges, the couple also faces child abuse counts.

BELLEVUE, Neb. (AP) — A suburban Omaha middle school teacher has been arrested after police say hundreds of images of suspected child pornography were found on a computer he had taken to a shop for repairs.

Police say 46-year-old Logan-Fontenelle Middle School science teacher Roger Jaeger was taken into custody Friday morning on suspicion of possessing child pornography. Police say the shop where Jaeger’s computer was being repaired called police to investigate.

Police seized the computer Friday morning and arrested Jeager at the school without incident. Omaha television station KETV reports that Jaeger has been placed on administrative leave.

Jaeger has been booked into the Sarpy county Jail. His case does not yet appear in online court records, and he could not be reached for comment.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — An Omaha elementary school principal who had been placed on leave after a teacher at the school was charged with abusing students has now been arrested.

Omaha television station KETV reports that police took Eric Nelson into custody on Friday on suspicion of felony child abuse. Police say Nelson did not report suspected abuse by Greg Sedlacek, who was a first-grade teacher at Fontenelle Elementary. State law requires educators to report suspected abuse of children.

The 30-year-old Sedlacek has been charged with multiple counts of sexually assaulting 6- and 7-year-old girls, who were students in his classes. He was arrested in early December after other teachers reported seeing him molest a 7-year-old girl on the school’s playground.

Nelson was placed on leave a week later.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — An Oklahoma City man who cyberstalked a woman based at Offutt Air Force Base near Omaha has been sentenced to five months in prison.

Federal prosecutors say 48-year-old Kevin McRae was sentenced Friday in Omaha’s federal court. He had pleaded guilty in September to one count of cyberstalking.

Prosecutors say McRae and the woman had a relationship when both were based in Japan. She ended it in 2015 as she was assigned to Offutt. Prosecutors say that for about 10 months afterward, McRae stalked the woman on the internet by posting sexually explicit photos of her on several websites. He retired from the Air Force prior to being prosecuted.

He told investigators that his motivation was anger at the woman.

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (AP) — The state’s U.S. attorney wants Hall County’s help to boost prosecution of drug cases in central Nebraska.

Joe Kelly pitched the idea Tuesday to the Hall County Board of Supervisors, asking for the county’s participation in hiring an additional assistant U.S. attorney to prosecute central Nebraska traffickers. Kelly said his office would hire the attorney and that person’s salary would be paid through a federal Drug Enforcement Administration program called High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas.

The federal program guidelines require that the funding go to the Nebraska State Patrol and then to either state or local government — in this case Hall County, The Grand Island Independent reported .

“Your chore in our proposal would simply be to pay the salary and then be reimbursed,” Kelly told the board members.

The new attorney would work almost exclusively on cases that the Central Nebraska Drug and Safe Streets Task Force or local and federal agencies generate in the area and that need to be prosecuted in federal court.

A deputy Hall County attorney had been sworn in to serve in the special assistant role to work with the task force, Kelly said, but that hasn’t been the case since Marty Klein, now the Hall County attorney, last served in that position about a year ago.

“Does that mean there have been no prosecutions in federal court for this area since Mr. Klein left that position? No,” Kelly said. “But does it mean we haven’t had a focus on this area with a little more energy than we normally would have had? Yes,” he said.

The proposal wasn’t an action item on the board agenda, but it’s expected to resurface for a vote at the next board meeting, Feb. 18.

“It looks to me like we don’t have much to lose,” said Supervisor Dick Hartman in reaction to Kelly’s request. “I don’t see any reason why we wouldn’t get the show on the road.”