LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Missouri man who pulled an emergency brake and prompted panic aboard an Amtrak train in southern Nebraska was sentenced Friday to 14 years in federal prison.

Taylor Michael Wilson, 26, of St. Charles, Missouri, was sentenced in a Lincoln federal court, the Lincoln Journal Star reported.

Wilson pleaded guilty in July to a single terrorism count and a weapons count after investigators found a cache of guns hidden in his Missouri home. In exchange, other counts were dropped.

Prosecutors said Wilson was armed with a handgun, ammunition, knife and hammer when he pulled the brake and cut lights to the train in a secure area of the Chicago-bound locomotive on Oct. 21, 2017, after getting into an argument with a black passenger. The train was traveling from California.

According to court records, Wilson hurled racial slurs at conductors who stopped and held him until law enforcement could arrive. An investigator testified that when asked why he stopped the train, Wilson replied that he was “going to save the train from the black people.”

Wilson maintained he was high on drugs at the time and had no terroristic intensions.

“I never had the intention of hurting anyone,” he said at his sentencing, according to the Lincoln Journal Star. “I did not have any hate or ill-will toward anyone on the train.”

But prosecutors argued he’s a danger to society, noting Wilson’s membership in a white supremacist group and his participation last year in a white nationalist torch-lit march and rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.

District Judge John Gerrard agreed, saying as he issued the sentence that Wilson was “a gun-toting, angry … white supremacist” and that it was fortunate for the train’s 175 passengers that Wilson was caught in the act of disabling the train.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska Supreme Court has upheld the convictions and 75-year prison sentence of a Wyoming man whom prosecutors say was drunk when he caused a fatal 2013 crash in western Nebraska.

Fifty-year-old Edward Hood, of Sheridan, Wyoming, argued among other things that his refusal to submit to a chemical test after the crash should not have been allowed into evidence at his trial.

Investigators say Hood smelled strongly of alcohol, and that a bottle of brandy was found in his vehicle after the crash on U.S. Highway 26 west of Oshkosh that killed another driver, 62-year-old Terry Hofer of Ogallala.

Hood was sentenced to 49 to 50 years for motor vehicle homicide, 19 to 20 years for second-degree assault, and 5 years for driving under the influence with two prior DUI convictions.

On Friday, the high court ruled that under Nebraska law, a driver’s refusal to submit a blood chemical test is admissible in a DUI prosecution.

• Wade Everett Hill 39, North Platte and Renee LeAnn Jones 33, North Platte

 

• Dennis Nash Jr., 38, Maxwell and Brandy Rae Pedersen, 35, Maxwell

 

• Mark Andrew Davis, 37, North Platte and Shelby Lyn Strobl, 25, North Platte

 

• Ronald Dale Crump Jr., 45, North Platte and Heather Diana Vanhorn. 28, North Platte

KEARNEY, Neb. (AP) — A new central Nebraska airline is already busy is having a busy first month.

The Kearney Hub reports that United Express handled nearly 1,500 passengers at its new home at the Kearney Regional Airport.

Station Manager Diane Packett says the airline had 752 outgoing passengers and 732 inbound passengers last month. If United Express maintains its current passenger volume, it would record more than 17,000 enplanements during the next 12 years.

Kearney’s prior airline, PenAir, was on pace to hit about 7,000 enplanements when it withdrew its service last year, citing pilot shortages and a bankruptcy filing.

UPDATE:

According to the North Platte Police Department, Stacy Polenske’s body was located near the vicinity of her abandoned van.

Officer Beth Kerr says a Nebraska State Patrol helicopter located the body at around 5:00 p.m. on October 5.

The cause of death is not known at this time. The investigation is currently ongoing.

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UPDATE

After conducting a search of a marshy area near the Platte River, authorities say there is still no sign of Stacy Polenske, other that her abandoned vehicle.

If you have any information, no matter how small, contact local law enforcement.

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Stacy Polenske has been missing since September 30th and has not been heard from since.

Police say the initial report came in at around 5:21 p.m. on October 1. An officer responded to a residence in the 800 block of West 11th Street where it was reported that Polenske had left her residence in her vehicle the evening before and has not been seen since.

A missing person report was filed with the Nebraska State Patrol and, on October 2, Polenske’s vehicle was located on the east side of North Platte, just outside of the City Limits.

Today, officers say they will be conducting a search of the area around where Polenske’s car was located.

Officer Beth Kerr says this area is located on the east side of town, south of Highway 30 and north of Interstate 80. The public is asked to avoid the area, if possible, or to use extreme caution in the area due to increased vehicle and foot traffic by law enforcement.

Polenske is 51-years-old.

North Platte police say they are investigating the death of a 10-day-old infant.

On September 11, Officer Beth Kerr says the infant was brought to Great Plains Health unresponsive.

After receiving treatment at GPH, the child was airlifted to Children’s Hospital in Omaha where they were placed on life-support in the pediatric intensive care unit.

On October 2, the decision was made to remove life-sustaining measures and the baby passed away a short time later.

Kerr says the cause of the infant’s death is unknown at this time, as is the cause of its initial unresponsive condition.

An autopsy is being conducted and the results are pending.

UPDATE:

North Platte police say Charles Robinson was taken into custody mid-morning on October 4.

He is being held at the Lincoln County Detention Center.

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North Platte Police are searching for a suspect in a drive-by shooting.

As the Post initially reported, officers responded to the report of shots fired at around 2:13 a.m. on Friday morning, in the 2000 block of West 20th Street.

Police say an initial investigation didn’t turn up any evidence that shots had been fired. However, after further investigation, investigators did locate bullet holes in a residence that was occupied at the time the shots were allegedly fired.

Investigators have determined there is probable cause to arrest 22-year-old Charles Robinson for discharge of a firearm into an occupied residence.

Robinson is described as a white male, 6’0″ tall and weighs 170 pounds.

If you have any information of Robinson’s whereabouts, please contact the North Platte Police Department or local law enforcement. Anonymous tips can be given to Crimestoppers at 1-800-933-TIPS.