NORTH PLATTE, Neb. (North Platte Post)- Two North Platte men are in jail after an alert bike patrol officer caught them red-handed during a theft attempt.
Around 2 a.m. Thursday, Officer Levi Gibbs heard banging near the Big Dog Chassis building at 801 East 7th. He carefully approached the noise, catching 21 year old Landon Peters and 23 year old Brian Piel in the act of breaking in to the business. Gibbs ordered the men to lie on the ground until backup arrived.
Peters and Piel were placed under arrest and charged with attempted burglary and possession of burglary tools, both felonies. No bond has been set.

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. (AP) – A 32-year-old western Nebraska man has been given 18 months of probation after making a plea deal on a child abuse charge.
Domingo Carrizales, of Hershey, pleaded guilty to assault. In return, a felony charge of intentional child abuse was dropped.
Carrizales was arrested after his 2-year-old child was taken to Great Plains Medical Center in North Platte.
Authorities say the child was struck in the head on Oct. 3 and that Carrizales admitted punching the child in the head several times.

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. (AP) – A North Platte man who was wounded when his gun went off inside his pants has been sentenced to federal prison.
A news release from the office of U.S. Attorney Deborah Gilg says 24-year-old Shane Reed, of North Platte, was sentenced to 70 months for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
The release says Reed was found lying in a North Platte street on March 22 last year. He told police his leg wound came from a drive-by shooter. Police soon determined that a handgun tucked inside Reed’s pants had gone off.
Reed was convicted in 2008 of felony theft and burglary in Lincoln County.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – A bill that seeks to ease a long-standing funding fight between Nebraska’s urban and rural community colleges has advanced for debate in the Legislature.
The Education Committee voted 6-0 Tuesday to advance a bill that would change the state’s funding formula for Nebraska’s six community colleges.
York Sen. Greg Adams said his bill (LB946) would make it easier for each college to predict how much they will receive each year in state aid.
The community colleges agreed to the new formula after months of closed-door talks. But one member of Omaha’s Metropolitan Community College Board argued Tuesday that his school still wasn’t getting its fair share. Board member Dave Newell says the new formula unfairly favors smaller, rural community colleges with fewer students.

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. (AP) – A North Platte man suspected of killing his wife has had his case continued until at least February.
Thirty-four-year-old Rogelio Diaz is charged with second-degree murder in the death of his 35-year-old wife, Michelle, at their home on June 25.
A Lincoln County District Court judge on Monday continued the case until Feb. 27 for a status hearing.
Police say Diaz killed his wife in their backyard. Police say he told officers that she fell from steps, but he later changed his story.

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. (AP) – A North Platte man who escaped from a hospital while in custody has been given 18-to-36 months in prison.
Nineteen-year-old Christopher Herring had pleaded no contest to charges of escaping from custody and criminal mischief. In exchange for the plea, prosecutors dropped several other charges. Herring was sentenced on Monday.
Herring was serving jail time for theft when he was taken to Great Plains Regional Medical Center in North Platte for treatment on Oct. 5. He broke out a window, jumped onto the roof and escaped.
He was captured a few hours later.