(AP) — Federal officials say grain moisture has slowed the Nebraska harvest, but farmers still moved ahead of the state average for bringing in their corn.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture says 71 percent of the state’s corn had been harvested by the end of last week, compared with the 66 percent yearly average by this date.
The USDA report says the soybean harvest was 97 percent complete — 4 percentage points ahead of the 93 percent average by this date.
The report also says the new winter wheat crop was 97 percent emerged, compared with 94 percent on average. Condition was rated at 69 percent good or excellent.
North Platte Police say the autopsy on the body of Chandler Snyder has been completed and there were no signs of trauma.
Snyder, 17, was found dead in a camper last Saturday in the 800 block of South Griffith, after a night of heavy drinking.
North Platte Police Department Public Information Officer Rodney Brown said the cause of death is still undetermined pending the results of toxicology testing. He said it could take several weeks for the tests to be completed.
Services for Snyder are pending at Adams and Swanson Funeral Home in North Platte.
A 34-year-old North Platte man is going to prison after he led police on a brief pursuit with his children in the car last year.
Robert Mills was sentenced to 1 1/2 to 3 years in prison Monday in Lincoln County District Court on one count of Child Abuse and one count of Possession of Marijuana with the Intent to Deliver. The sentences will run concurrently.
Mills was involved in an altercation with his wife last September. After being located by Police, Mills led them on a brief vehicle pursuit before pulling into an alley and taking off on foot.
Mills was apprehended a short time later and placed under arrest.
As Officers investigated further, they found that Mills’ children, ages 3 and 4, were in the vehicle with him unrestrained. Additionally, Officers found a bag containing a large amount of marijuana they say belonged to Mills.
The children were unharmed in the incident and were safely returned to their mother.
(AP) — A 43-year-old man has been given six to eight years in prison for pulling a gun and making threats outside a strip club in south-central Nebraska.
William “Will” Sheldon was sentenced last week in Buffalo County District Court. He’d been found guilty of using a weapon to commit a felony, tampering with evidence and making terroristic threats.
Prosecutors say that on June 3 last year, Sheldon pointed a handgun and threatened two brothers during a fight outside the Jammers club, which sat near the Odessa interchange on Interstate 80 west of Kearney. Sheldon owned and operated the club.
Prosecutors say Sheldon tampered with video surveillance equipment at the club after the incident.
Sheldon intends to appeal.
(AP) — A Nebraska Panhandle woman accused of extorting money from a man charged with molesting her daughter has been bound over for trial.
The 29-year-old woman is scheduled for arraignment Wednesday in Cheyenne County District Court.
The man involved, 55-year-old Jason Frei, has pleaded not guilty to felony sexual assault of a child. Authorities said Frei, of Potter, groped the girl while giving her mother a massage at his home in August. The Associated Press isn’t using the mother’s name in order to protect the girl’s privacy.
Court affidavits say that on Aug. 21, an investigator searched Frei’s home and interviewed him. Frei told the investigator that the woman was extorting $20,000 from him and that he’d already paid $10,000.
(AP) — The U.S. Forest Service says the deadline to take advantage of free firewood permits is approaching fast.
The permit program for the Pine Ridge Ranger District is set to expire on Dec. 31. Permit holders can harvest up to four cords of wood from Forest Service lands, up to 150 feet away from county and Forest Service Roads. One cord of firewood is measured as 4 feet by 4 feet by 8 feet.
Applicants must pick up their permits at the Pine Ridge Ranger District office. The permits be kept with the person when retrieving firewood.
John Lee, a district forester, says the permits will return to their regular $20 price on Jan. 1.
(AP) — A Sidney man has died after an altercation with his former son-in-law.
Cheyenne County authorities say 23-year-old Theodore Medina was arrested Saturday on an assault warrant. Officers had been sent to a Sidney home after someone reported a fight there between Medina and Ernie Ward. Court documents say Medina lived in Ward’s house despite no longer being married to Ward’s daughter.
Officers say that when they arrived Medina was giving Ward CPR. Medina said Ward was drunk when their argument turned into a physical fight. Medina said Ward’s head was injured when he picked up Ward and threw him down.
Court documents say Ward was pronounced dead shortly after 11:30 p.m. Saturday.
Medina’s lawyer from a case earlier this year didn’t immediately return a call Monday from The Associated Press.
A 19-year-old North Platte man will spend the next five to ten years in prison for sexually assaulting two young girls.
Christopher Russell was sentenced by Lincoln County District Court Judge Donald Rowlands on Monday.
Russell was convicted of two counts of Attempted Sexual Assault of a Child after pleading no contest in a plea deal with prosecutors.
Prosecutors say Russell had a sexual relationship with two girls under the age of 16 earlier this year.
Russell’s attorney, Martin Troshynski, said Russell has consistently admitted to one of the charges and denied the other from the time he first met with law enforcement. Troshynski believes that personal matters between Russell and the second victim lead to her allegations against him.
Rowland’s noted that Russell had a minimal criminal record, prior to sentencing, but also said the court takes a strong stance against people over the age of 19 who target minors for sex.
An evaluation by a local mental health professional deemed that while Russell wasn’t a pedophile, he had an attraction to much younger girls. It was also determined Russell was a moderate risk to re-offend.
Russell received five to ten year sentences on both counts which will be served concurrently. He must also register as a sex offender.
Nebraska law prohibits anyone 19 or older from having sex with anyone under 16.
Two separate traffic stops on Interstate 80 resulted in troopers seizing nearly 120 pounds of marijuana.
The first stop occurred just after noon on Friday, November 1. A trooper stopped an eastbound 2013 Chevy Tahoe for speeding on I-80 near the Cozad exit. The trooper was given consent to search the vehicle. The search led to the seizure of 91.2 lbs. of marijuana. The marijuana was located in five duffel bags in the cargo area of the SUV.
The male driver and lone occupant of the vehicle, Jewell E. Pendleton II, 29, Raleigh, N.C., was lodged in the Dawson County Jail for possession of marijuana with intent to deliver.
On Saturday, November 2, just after 1:00 a.m., a trooper stopped an eastbound, 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee for speeding on I-80 near the Lincoln Airport exit. Upon contacting the driver, the trooper smelled an odor of marijuana. A probable cause search led to the seizure of 28.6 lbs. of marijuana. The marijuana was located in four plastic trash bags in the cargo area of the vehicle.
The driver of the SUV, Wade N. Davis, 46, Crossville, Tenn., and a passenger, Martin W. Singleton, 70, Crescent City, Fla., were both lodged in the Lancaster County Corrections, each on a charge of possession of marijuana with intent to deliver.
