NP officers serving search warrant hear gunshots, 3 arrested

North Platte Police serve a search warrant in the 2600 block of West 21st Street on Monday

A quiet Monday morning in North Platte quickly became extremely active in the northwest part of the city.

At around 10:00 a.m., on April 29, officers were assisting the Department of Health and Human Services in the service of a search warrant in the 2600 block of West 21st Street. Police say the purpose of the search warrant was to remove two children from the residence, a one-month-old and a three-year-old, due to substance abuse and prior child abuse issues.

According to police, DHHS had already made contact with the parents, 28-year-old Taylor Hensley and 30-year-old Ashly Hensley, but they had retreated inside and refused to open the door.

Officers set up a perimeter around the residence and requested a search warrant.

As they waited, at around 11:30 a.m., officers heard four or five gunshots approximately 50 yards away from the house they were surrounding.

They quickly located 37-year-old Dana Foster in the front yard of his residence. Foster was taken into custody and police seized a handgun.

An investigation revealed that Foster and a female had gotten into an argument inside the residence and Foster had exited the residence and fired at their vehicle to prevent the female from leaving.

The victim, according to police, had minor injuries and Foster was arrested and jailed on charges of terroristic threats, domestic assault, use of a weapon to commit a felony and prohibited discharge of a firearm.

Soon thereafter, the search warrant was served on the initial residence, but no one was inside. A neighbor reported that before officers arrived, the Hensleys had left out the back door, with the children.

At 2:13 p.m. officers were able to locate the Hensleys and the children in the 2200 block of West 16th Street.

The children were placed in DHHS custody. The Hensleys were jailed and charged with violating a child custody order, a class four felony.