A car thief is in custody after being captured by Deputies with the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office.

On Saturday, April 6, at around 11:00 p.m., North Platte Police took a report of a stolen vehicle, a blue 1998 Chevy S10, from the Denny’s parking lot.

Then on Sunday, April 7, at approximately 6:00 a.m., the North Platte Fire Department was paged to a grass fire 2.5 miles south of East State Farm Road on South Moran Canyon Road.  The Maxwell Volunteer Fire Department was also dispatched to assist.

At 7:40 a.m., the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office was asked to respond to the area of the grass fire, because the stolen pickup was found burning at the bottom of the canyon.

Deputies located a set of keys at the scene believed to belong to the suspect.  Upon further investigation, Deputies discovered that the keys belonged to Jacob Refior.  Refior was interviewed at the Sheriff’s Office.

As a result of the interview, Deputies learned that Refior and another subject had stolen the vehicle from Denny’s and had taken it for a joy ride that resulted in the vehicle becoming stuck and starting the grass fire.

Refior was arrested and charged with the theft of the vehicle and several other charges.  Alcohol is believed to be involved, and the investigation continues.

Approximately five acres of grass and cedar trees were burnt in the fire.  The pickup was a total loss.

Nebraska utility workers are restoring power to the last few customers who lost electricity during this week’s spring storm.

At the height of the outage, nearly 4,000 Nebraska Public Power District customers and a number of rural utilities lost power because of the thunderstorms, ice and wind that moved across the state Tuesday night.

NPPD spokesman Mark Becker says 23 customers in an industrial park east of Kearney were still without power Thursday morning.

Another 95 NPPD customers in the Kearney area lost power Thursday because a damaged pole was being replaced.

UPDATE:

At around 1:00 a.m. on April 11, an Investigator from the North Platte Police Department responded to Great Plains Regional Medical Center on the report of a gunshot victim.

The Investigator met with the 30-year-old male victim, who reported being shot in the left leg by a male suspect, whom he claimed he did not know.  The victim also reported that he was shot while fleeing on foot from a parked car near the 1700 Block of West 17th.

While the Investigator was interviewing the victim, Officers became involved in a brief pursuit with a vehicle thought to be involved in the shooting, that started in the area of Oak and West 2nd Street and ended near 3rd Street and Adams.  Three occupants fled on foot, but Officers were able to apprehend all three subjects.

One male suspect, Britton Renfrow, 21, was arrested and jailed for Attempted Robbery, 2nd Degree Assault, Use of a Weapon During the Commission of a Felony, Possession of a Defaced Firearm and Possession of Prescription Medication, all felonies.  Renfrow was initially charged with Attempted Homicide, but the charge was reduced.

Another suspect, Ethen Bentley, 21, was charged and jailed for being an Accessory to a Felony.

A third suspect, Matthew Bobo, 28, was initially cited for Obstruction of a Police Officer and released.

However, Bobo was later found walking north over the Jeffers viaduct.  He was placed under arrest after officers found him to be in possession of a handgun.  Bobo was charged with Attempted Robbery, Possession of a Defaced Firearm, Possession of Methamphetamine and Possession of Marijuana.

Police believe Renfrow pulled the trigger in the shooting.

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Two male subjects are in custody this morning after a shooting last night in North Platte.

According to North Platte Police Department Public Information Officer Rodney Brown, a male subject suffered a gunshot wound to a lower extremity.  The injuries are not life-threatening.

No more details have been released.  Stay tuned to the Post for more information.

*THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY*

A North Platte woman is under arrest after she allegedly threatened two people with a shotgun and a chainsaw.

At around 1:00 P.M. on Tuesday, North Platte Police responded to a disturbance in the 1700 block of West 14th.  The reporting party stated that weapons were involved.

Officers made contact with a male and female victim, who alleged that 39-year-old Brenda Lee had threatened them both with a chainsaw and a shotgun.

Officers made contact with Lee, who appeared to be under the influence of something.  She would later test positive for Methamphetamine.

Following an investigation, Officers determined that there was probable cause to arrest Lee for Possession of a Firearm by a Felon, a Class 1D Felony, Terroristic Threats, a Class IV Felony and Use of A Weapon During the Commission of a Felony, a Class II Felony.

Lee was transported and jailed at the Lincoln County Detention Center.

The University of Nebraska Kearney is hosting a miniature golf tournament to raise awareness about human trafficking.

The university’s Rotaract organization will stage the “Putting for a Purpose” event on Saturday at the Cushing Fieldhouse.

The event is free and open to the public, and is scheduled to run from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Teams of three can sign up on the day of the tournament. Those who want priority in line can sign up before the tournament at the Nebraska Student Union.

A speaker from the A21 campaign will be on site to share information about human trafficking. The A21 campaign is an effort to stop human trafficking.

Members of the winning team will each receive a Nexus 7 tablet.

A former treasurer in south-central Nebraska accused of stealing money from a girls softball association has reached a plea deal.

As part of the agreement, the Buffalo County Attorney’s Office reduced 47-year-old Vicki Aten’s charge of theft to attempted theft. Aten pleaded no contest to the charge Monday in the county’s district court.

The 47-year-old Aten is accused of stealing nearly $28,000 from the Kearney Girls Competitive Softball Association between January 2009 and January 2012. She served for more than three years as treasurer of the association, which runs the girls softball leagues in Kearney.

Aten has paid back more than $22,000. She will pay back an additional $7,500 as part of the plea deal.

Aten will be sentenced in May.

The Nebraska State Patrol says 37-year-old Lisa Conrad died from exposure after leaving her stranded vehicle during the recent snow storm. Conrad’s 19-year-old son Brandon remains in stable condition at the Box Butte General Hospital where he is being treated for hypothermia and frostbite.

Conrad’s car became disabled approximately one mile south of Berea on Highway 385 late Monday night as she was returning home from work in Alliance. Conrad was last heard from around 12:30 a.m., Tuesday, April 9, when she called her husband to say she and their son were leaving the vehicle to walk to their home in Berea.

“In talking with Brandon, we were able to learn he walked from his family’s home in Berea to where his mother’s car was stranded,” said Captain Mike Gaudreault, Troop E Commander. “He and his mother then left the vehicle and attempted to walk back to their house, but became disorientated in the blinding snow and never made it.”

At some point Lisa Conrad was unable to go on. Her body was located around 5:40 p.m., (MDT), Tuesday in a field approximately half mile west of Highway 385 off of Johnson Road by local resident’s searching the area on snowmobiles. Brandon Conrad was able to make it to an abandoned farm house about 2 ½ miles away.  He was found alive by the snowmobilers.

Captain Gaudreault said, “This is a very tragic situation. Brandon did everything he could to help his mother. He is a brave young man, and we are thankful he is alive. Our hearts go out to the Conrad family.”

Berea is an unincorporated community about 10 miles northwest of Alliance in Box Butte County.

A body found near the South Platte River last April has been indentified.

On April 1, 2013, Investigators from the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office received a letter from the University of North Texas in reference to the Missing Person/DNA Database.

Investigators were informed of a match from the Federal Bureau of Investigation Laboratory, stating that the sample submitted by North Texas was consistent with convicted offender, 64-year-old Denys Ray Hughes.

Hughes was convicted in 2005 and serving time in prison for attempting to make deadly biological toxins, Ricin, and bomb making materials.

He was serving his time in Colorado and was to report to a halfway house in Milwaukee, WI.  On May 25, 2011, when he did not show up at the halfway house, a warrant was issued by the Unites States Marshals Service.

It is believed that Hughes got off the bus in North Platte and was in the area until his death in late 2011 or early 2012.

His only known next of kin is a sister living in Wisconsin and arrangements are being made to get his remains back to her.

Hughes’ badly decomposed body was found last April on private property near the South Platte River.

No foul play is suspected in the death.

Here is the original story from the Post:

https://www.northplattepost.com/2012/04/23/human-remains-found-near-south-platte-river/

Great Plains Health Care Foundation will host a donor recognition event, “Healthcare Heroes” at the Golden Spike Tower on Thursday, April 11.

“We are very grateful to the many donors who support the Foundation’s mission to enhance the quality and availability of healthcare services for the patients and communities served by Great Plains Regional Medical Center,” said Libby Lashley, director of Great Plains Health Care Foundation.

Attendees of the recognition event include donors who made a contribution to the Foundation of $2,000 or more in 2012. The event will begin at 5:30 p.m. with a presentation at 6:15 p.m.

The Great Plains Health Care Foundation is a not-for-profit organization that partners with many generous donors who join them in raising private funds to support the continued advancement of local healthcare in the areas of patient care, technology, service, education and quality.

Since its inception in 1992, the Foundation has raised approximately $9.3 million and contributed to many successful projects including:

• The development of the cardiovascular service line at Great Plains.
• Ongoing funding for equipment and services at the Callahan Cancer Center.
• New technology for the advancement of local stroke and epilepsy services.
• The development of a patient assistance fund.
• Support programs for hospice and cancer care.
• Sleep monitoring equipment.
• Supplies and calendars for the local Cancer Survivor’s Painting Group.
• Ongoing education assistance for medical professionals.

The Foundation is currently fundraising for the development of a healing garden, which will be located west of the new hospital entrance when it opens in the summer of 2015 and a state-of-the-art linear accelerator for advancements in local radiation oncology services

“The generosity of those who have given to the Foundation not only makes an impact on the community, but also touches the lives of individuals and families,” said Lashley, “Without our donors, many of the improvements and additions at Great Plains Regional Medical Center would not have been possible.”

For more information about the Foundation including ways to give, please contact Libby Lashley, Foundation director, at 308.696.7411.

The Nebraska State Patrol in conjunction with the Nebraska Department of Roads (NDOR) is urging motorists headed west to delay travel plans as Interstate 80 is now closed westbound from Kearney to the Wyoming line.

“There simply just isn’t anywhere for westbound vehicles to go at this time,” said Colonel David Sankey, Superintendent of the Nebraska State Patrol.  “Road crews are working hard to re-open the interstate, but they are dealing with large amounts of heavy snow, coupled with blowing and drifting.”

Eastbound I-80 has re-opened at Big Springs, but travelers are urged to utilize caution as winter travel conditions still exist.

Motorists are encouraged to keep up on the latest weather and road condition reports by utilizing 511, Nebraska’s Advanced Traveler Information System at < www.511.nebraska.gov > , the 511 Mobile Traveler Site at < https://www.ndortraveler.mobi >, or by dialing 511 (800-906-9069) from any landline or cellular phone for information.