TECUMSEH, Neb. (AP) — Two more staff members have been attacked by prisoners at a state prison in southeast Nebraska.

The Nebraska Correctional Services Department says the two were assaulted early Sunday morning at the Tecumseh prison. One of them suffered what the department described as serious but non-life-threatening injuries. The department didn’t provide details on how the attack occurred or say how many prisoners took part. It did say no weapons were involved.

The staffers’ names haven’t been released.

In recent years the department has reported several incidents of violence at the prison, which sits 62 miles (100 kilometers) south of Omaha. Authorities say two inmates were killed by other prisoners in a March uprising, and two more died during rioting in May 2015.

LEXINGTON, Neb. (AP) — A man suspected of bank robberies in five states has pleaded not guilty to unrelated charges in Nebraska.

Richard Gathercole entered the pleas Monday in Dawson County District Court to two counts of possessing stolen firearms and one of theft or receiving stolen property. A trial starting date of Aug. 12 was set.

Authorities believe Gathercole is the man they call “the AK-47 bandit,” who’s robbed banks in California, Idaho, Iowa, Nebraska and Washington.

Nebraska court documents say Gathercole was arrested June 20 at a gas station near Lexington, Nebraska. A sheriff’s deputy had spotted a pickup truck there that Kansas authorities had reported stolen by a man who’d fired at but missed a state trooper.

 

LEXINGTON, Neb. (AP) — A murder trial remains on hold while waiting for doctors to evaluate the competency of the primary suspect.

Jose Regalado-Mendez is waiting for an evaluation of his mental health at the Lincoln Regional Center.

Regalado-Mendez is charged with first degree murder and use of a firearm to commit a felony in connection with the death of Jose Hernandez.

The remains of Hernandez were found Dec. 12 near a farmhouse north of Lexington.

Prosecutors say they believe Regalado-Mendez shot to Hernandez in October and then hid the body.

A 20-year-old man if facing several felony charges after he allegedly ran from North Platte police on Sunday night.

At around 9:32 p.m., officers received information that Austin Shelly was near the area of Third and Chestnut Streets, and had an active warrant for failure to appear.

As officers arrived in the area, Investigator John Deal says Shelly took off running near the Lincoln County Courthouse at Fourth and Jeffers Streets.

Deal says Shelly eventually gave up and was taken into custody. Officers located a baggie of pills, later identified as Methylphenidate Hydrochloride, near where Shelly had stopped running.

Additionally, officers found brass knuckles in Shelly’s pocket. Deal says brass knuckles are considered a deadly weapon.

In the end, Shelly was transported to the Lincoln County Detention Center and charged with felony possession of a controlled substance, felony carrying of a concealed weapon, felony resisting arrest, felony destruction of evidence and contempt of court.

 

 

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The office of Gov. Pete Ricketts has issued an emergency declaration because of the abnormally dry conditions in Nebraska.

The Nebraska Emergency Management Agency said in a news release Friday that the proclamation activates provisions of the state’s emergency operations plan and lets the agency address unmet needs caused by dry conditions and the resulting wildfires.

Agency assistant director Bryan Tuma says officials are concerned about the need for resources “that will quickly mitigate wildfire outbreaks.”

Under the proclamation, the agency may replenish the state’s inventory of fire retardant material used by aircraft for fire suppression and lets the agency use money from the governor’s emergency fund to handle any wildfires.