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NSP investigating fatal crash following vehicle pursuit

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The Nebraska State Patrol is investigating a crash in northwest Lincoln that followed a pursuit by the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office.

The crash occurred just after 8:00 a.m. today when Sheriff’s Deputies were pursuing a stolen vehicle on Interstate 80. The 2003 Chevrolet Trailblazer was traveling westbound on I-80 when it attempted to exit onto NW 48th street at mile marker 395. The vehicle failed to navigate the turn and rolled. All four occupants of the vehicle were ejected.

One of the occupants, Zayne Yost, 14, of Lincoln, was pronounced deceased at the scene. The three other occupants of the vehicle, Andrew Fisher, 16, Darius Hayes, 14, and Anthony Moreno, 15, were all transported to Bryan Medical Center and Bryan West Campus. At this time, none of their injuries are expected to be life-threatening. Investigators believe Hayes was driving at the time of the crash.

The Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office has requested the Nebraska State Patrol to conduct an investigation into the incident. That investigation is ongoing.

Grand jury finds no criminal wrongdoing in inmate’s death 

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LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – A grand jury investigating the death of an inmate who fell 11 times in his cell has found no criminal wrongdoing by officials.

The Lincoln Journal Star reports that Tony D. Perez died last summer at a Lincoln hospital of blunt force head injuries. State law requires a grand jury investigation when someone dies in custody or while being arrested.

Perez been arrested Aug. 1 at the Fillmore County Courthouse, where he’d shown up drunk for a hearing. He was taken to the county jail and two days later to the Saline County Jail. He had a seizure that night and eventually was taken to the prison department’s Diagnostic and Evaluation Center in Lincoln.

The jury report says he suffered three falls at the center. He was taken to a Lincoln hospital and then declared brain-dead the morning of Aug. 5.

A review of the video showed Perez had fallen 11 times in his cell.

Rhode Island man gets Nebraska jail time for drugs

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LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Rhode Island man arrested on a drug charge has been sentenced to time in a Nebraska jail.

Lancaster County District Court records say 51-year-old John Carlson, of Cranston, Rhode Island, pleaded no contest last week and was found guilty after prosecutors lowered the charge to possession of more than a pound of marijuana. He was given 180 days and fined $2,500.

Carlson and Richard Wilkinson, of Damascus, Oregon, were arrested in November last year after authorities found drugs in a van Wilkinson was driving on Interstate 80 in Lincoln. The drugs: 110 pounds (50 kilograms) of marijuana, 3,500 marijuana seeds, vials of hash oil and 25 pounds (11.3 kilograms) of shatter, which is a concentrated form of the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana.

Wilkinson has pleaded not guilty to possession of controlled substances for sale and is awaiting trial.

Head-on collision kills driver in northeast Nebraska

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HARTINGTON, Neb. (AP) – Authorities say a driver was killed and four people were injured in a three-vehicle collision in northeast Nebraska.

The accident occurred Tuesday night on U.S. Highway 81 in Cedar County. Authorities say 82-year-old Marjorie Novak, of Hartington, was headed south in her pickup truck when it struck a northbound vehicle driven by a Yankton, South Dakota, man. A second northbound vehicle, driven by 52-year-old Brenda Saltzman, of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, then ran into the rear of the first.

Authorities say Novak was pronounced dead at the scene. The Yankton man and Saltzman and her two passengers were taken to hospitals.

Winter storm expected to bring snow, poor travel conditions

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SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — A large winter storm coming on the heels of Christmas is expected to bring snow to Nebraska, the Dakotas and Minnesota this week.

Andrew Kalin, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, said Tuesday that the storm was set to start overnight in the western Dakotas and continue Wednesday into Minnesota. Kalin said the storm could deliver more than 8 inches of snow to some locations.

Kalin said southeastern South Dakota and southern Minnesota were expected to see rain or a wintry mix for the first half of the storm. A National Weather Service report issued Tuesday warned that significantly reduced visibility from snow and blowing snow should be expected, particularly on Thursday and Friday.

Kalin said poor travel conditions are expected, and people should monitor the forecast and adjust their travel plans as needed. He said that even after the snowfall stops, areas that receive significant amounts will experience blowing and drifting snow.

He added that the weather service recommends that people who must travel have emergency kits in their vehicles and follow winter-driving rules.

Patrol says Colorado girl died in crash near Ogallala

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OGALLALA, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say a Colorado girl died in a crash along Interstate 80 in western Nebraska.

The accident occurred east of Ogallala around 4 p.m. Saturday. The Nebraska State Patrol says the eastbound sport utility vehicle veered into the median when the driver had a medical emergency. Passengers were unable to control the SUV, and it ran back across the eastbound lanes and hit a culvert in a ditch on the south side of the roadway.

The patrol says four of seven people in the SUV were ejected. The patrol says one of the passengers died later at an Ogallala hospital. She was identified as 11-year-old Karen Valverde. She lived in Longmont, Colorado.

Gov. Ricketts issues Christmas statement

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Gov. Pete Ricketts

LINCOLN – Today, Governor Pete Ricketts issued a statement in observance of Christmas which is celebrated on December 25, 2018.

 
“As we prepare for the Christmas season, we must keep in mind the true reason for celebration: the coming of Jesus Christ.  Christ’s coming to Earth is not about giving or receiving physical gifts.  It’s not about the busyness of the physical preparation of cleaning, cooking, or buying presents.  It’s about preparing our hearts to receive God’s gift of love He gave to us through the Nativity.  As Mother Theresa would ask, ‘At this Christmas when Christ comes, will He find a warm heart?’
 
“During this season, let’s also remember the brave men and women who are serving around the world to protect our freedom to celebrate Christmas freely.  The men and women in our armed forces, along with their families, sacrifice much so that we may enjoy the holiday season with loved ones.  John F. Kennedy once said, ‘A nation reveals itself not only by the men it produces but also by the men it honors, the men it remembers.’  Please join my family and me in keeping our servicemen and women abroad in our prayers during this season.
 
“Susanne, the kids, and I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a joyous holiday season.  If you’re going to be traveling over the holiday, please remember to buckle up and drive safely.”
 
The Governor plans to celebrate Christmas with his extended family.

Former Nebraska football player arrested after traffic stop

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Alfonzo Dennard

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A former University of Nebraska football player has been arrested after a traffic stop.

The Lincoln Journal Star reports officers arrested former defensive back Alfonzo Dennard early Sunday.

Officers stopped Dennard and planned to charge him with driving with a suspended license. Police say Dennard refused to put his hands behind his back and scuffled with officers.

Dennard was arrested on charges of assault on an officer, resisting arrest and failure to comply. He was held in the Lancaster County jail.

Court records don’t indicate if he has a lawyer who could comment on the arrest.

Dennard was named Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year in 2011.

Deputy injured when patrol car collides with minivan

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OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A deputy was injured when his cruiser collided with a minivan in suburban Omaha.

The crash happened early Sunday when deputy Kenneth Paulison’s patrol car collided with a minivan trying to turn from 144th Street.

Paulison was treated at a hospital for minor injuries to his face and hands.

The minivan driver and a passenger were ejected from the vehicle but didn’t receive life-threatening injuries. The driver, 26-year-old Rikki Spencer, of Bellevue, and a passenger, 24-year-old Emma Herskind, of Gretna, were treated at a hospital.

Driver dies after car struck building in Nebraska Panhandle

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HENRY, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say a 27-year-old Denver man died after his vehicle struck a building in the Nebraska Panhandle.

The crash occurred a little after 10 p.m. Saturday in Henry, about a mile (2 kilometers) east of the Wyoming state line.

The Nebraska State Patrol says Kelsey Komarek was driving east when his car ran off U.S. Highway 26 and hit the building. Komarek was pronounced dead at the scene.

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