A 39-year-old North Platte man was arrested on Christmas Eve after police say he held a knife to his girlfriend’s throat and threatened to harm her dogs.

At around 2:30 p.m., officers responded to a residence in the 2100 block of West 5th Street on the report of a domestic assault that had occurred earlier.

Officers met with a 45-year-old female who alleged that she and her boyfriend, Joey Ziegler, had become involved in a verbal argument.

During the argument, the female reported that Ziegler threatened to harm her dogs.  She said that when she asked Ziegler if he really intended to harm the dogs, he produced a pocket knife, opened the blade and held it against her throat.

According to Investigator John Deal, Ziegler then told the victim that he would “cut her throat” before he would harm the dogs.  He then left the residence.

Deal says officers located the knife that was allegedly used in the incident, near where Ziegler had reportedly been sitting.

The officers then left to attempt to locate Ziegler when, a short time later, a call came in that he had returned to the residence.

Officers responded and took Ziegler into custody.  He was transported to the Lincoln County Detention Center and jailed on charges of felony 3rd-degree-domestic assault, use of a weapon to commit a felony and felony terroristic threats.  Deal says the domestic assault charge is a felony due to prior convictions.

 

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The death penalty has been voted the top Nebraska story for 2016 by newspaper and broadcast members of The Associated Press and by AP staffers.

Nebraska voters reinstated the death penalty on Nov. 8 when they overturned the Legislature’s decision last year to abolish capital punishment. The Legislature’s action topped the AP list for 2015.

In order, the rest of the 2016 stories were the Wisconsin crash death of Husker punter Sam Foltz; Cabela’s sale to Bass Pro; the death of an Omaha boy at a Walt Disney park; staffing shortages at state prisons; the award of $28.1 million to six people wrongfully convicted of a 1985 murder; a state legislator’s cybersex scandal; the Legislature’s electoral shake-up; the state tourism director’s firing; and the budget woes facing the Legislature.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska has seen a bumper crop of community gardens take root over the last five years, but a new report says other states have done more to help them flourish.

The report by a legislative task force identified 184 community gardens throughout the state, mostly on land owned by churches, schools, daycares and local governments.

Community gardens have become popular as a way to eat healthier, reduce grocery costs and build relationships with neighbors, but the report says some in Nebraska have faced logistical hurdles.

The Nebraska task force report calls for a rewrite of land-use laws so gardeners have more places to plant, policies that make it easier and more affordable to access water, and tax incentives that will encourage landowners to allow community gardens on their property.

MCCOOK, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say one of two inmates who went missing from the Work Ethic Camp in McCook has been caught.

The Department of Correctional Services said in a news release Sunday that 20-year-old Andrew Russell is in custody in South Dakota. No other details were provided. Russell had been convicted of two drug offenses in Dawes County.

The second inmate, 35-year-old Charles Canady, remains at large. He was convicted of crimes in four counties.

The two men were discovered missing when a head count was conducted at 10:50 p.m. Wednesday. Security video shows the two walking away from the camp around 5:30 p.m.

The department describes the camp as a minimum-security facility for inmates evaluated as being able to work in the community with intermittent supervision.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Winterfest events are under way at several Nebraska state parks.

Now through April, state parks are celebrating the season through more than a dozen events and seasonal offerings.

Among the activities is the Christmas Bird Count, which continues through Jan. 5 at Indian Cave State Park near Shubert in southeast Nebraska. Guests can aid scientists and conservation efforts by helping identify as bird species there.

Several parks are also planning First Day Hikes on Jan. 1.

Other Winterfest activities include ice skating, archery and more. Details on these and other holiday events are available at online at the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission website, www.OutdoorNebraska.gov/Winterfest.