LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The state prisons department says an inmate has assaulted a staff member at the Lincoln Correctional Center.

The Department of Correctional Services says that around 6:30 p.m. Sunday the inmate threatened to harm the staffer. Two other staff members intervened and tried to take the inmate elsewhere, but the inmate became combative.

The department says the inmate managed to place his arms around the staffer’s neck before other staff members restrained him. The staffer later sought medical treatment.

The department says the results of its investigation will be sent to the Lancaster County attorney for possible charges.

The names of those involved have not been released.

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. (AP) — A North Platte woman has pleaded not guilty to theft charges that were filed after people complained that she’d stolen their money when they booked vacation and other trips through her.

Online court records say 57-year-old Ella Sculley entered the pleas Monday in Lincoln County District Court to 11 felony counts of theft. The records don’t list a trial date.

Investigators say several people complained that while she worked as a travel agent in 2015, Sculley took their money but didn’t follow through with ticket purchases and other services.

A 38-year-old North Platte man has been arrested after he allegedly assaulted his girlfriend.

At around 1:47 a.m., on August 23, officers responded to the report of a domestic assault in the 500 block of West 6th Street.

Officers met with a 26-year-old female who alleged that her boyfriend, Aaron Thomas, had assaulted her.

The woman told police that, on August 22, Thomas had punched her in the back of the head and prevented her from leaving the residence by blocking the doorways. Officers reported a visible injury to the back of her head.

Later on, the alleged victim claimed that Thomas sprayed her in the face with pepper spray.  According to Investigator John Deal, the victim had red eyes that were consistent with being sprayed with a foreign substance.  Officers also located a can of Dog Away brand pepper spray nearby.  Deal said it is used to repel aggressive dogs.

In the end, Thomas was placed under arrest and transported to the Lincoln County Detention Center.  He’s been charged with domestic assault and false imprisonment.

As of Tuesday afternoon, a bond amount had not been set for Thomas.

Fans attending high school football games across the state will once again be the focus of a special effort to raise awareness of the need to wear your seat belt every trip, every time.

“Friday Night Lights” is designed to help reduce serious injury and fatality crashes involving teen drivers by providing them firsthand knowledge of what can happen when you don’t buckle up.

Fans at select high school football games will have the opportunity to experience a ride in the NSP Seat Belt Convincer and/or view a presentation of the Rollover Simulator.

“We all win when drivers and passengers buckle up,” said Colonel Brad Rice, Superintendent of the Nebraska State Patrol. “Getting out among the community at events such as football games allows our troopers the opportunity to provide valuable safety information and encourage voluntary compliance with all traffic safety laws.”

During breaks in football actions, troopers utilize T-shirt shooters to catapult shirts with a seat belt safety message to football fans. The shirts were purchased with the assistance of AAA Nebraska/Cornhusker Motor Club Foundation and the Nebraska Office of Highway Safety.

To request a Friday Night Lights demonstration, or for a list of scheduled games in your area, contact your local Nebraska State Patrol Troop Area Headquarters.

Buffalo County authorities say a 48-year-old man is dead after a swimming accident at a central Nebraska lake.

According to Captain Bob Anderson, deputies were called to a lake near Ravenna at around 8:00 p.m., on Monday, on the report of a man, identified as Kelly Harris, of Rockville, who may have drowned while swimming.

First responders arrived and began CPR before transporting Harris to CHI Good Samaritan Hospital, in Kearney.  He was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.

Anderson says that after a preliminary investigation, foul play is not suspected.  An autopsy has been ordered by the Buffalo County Attorney’s Office.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say a former Broken Bow man has been imprisoned for lying about a sex assault conviction to housing officials.

The office of U.S. Attorney Deborah Gilg (gihlg) says in a news release that Robert Tipton Jr. was sentenced Friday in U.S. District Court in Lincoln to two years in prison.

The release says Tipton and his girlfriend applied for public housing in Broken Bow in February 2014. The application was checked “no” to a question of whether anyone in the household had ever been convicted of a crime. He signed the application and attested to its accuracy.

The prosecutors’ release says Tipton was convicted in 2001 in Garfield County, Colorado, of felony sexual assault of a child. Federal regulations bar sex offenders from living in public housing.